A German court is putting its foot down. Birkenstocks are not art. Birkenstocks are cool enough for influencers, Hollywood stars and even Barbie — but they do not qualify as art, Germany’s top court ruled Thursday. The company claimed that their shoes can be classified as art and therefore are protected by copyright laws.

On Thursday, the federal court of justice in Karlsruhe, Germany, ruled that Birkenstocks were not “copyrighted works of applied art,” making it harder for the 251-year-old German shoemaker to combat the widespread sale of duplicates of its sandals across the internet.

Birkenstock sandals, which have evolved from a symbol of counterculture to a trendy fashion item, do not qualify as art and are therefore not protected by copyright, Germany's highest civil court ruled on Thursday.

Can Birkenstock sandals be considered art? That's what Germany's Federal Court of Justice had to decide on Thursday, and it ruled they're just comfy footwear.