Birkenstock sandals are not art, says German court

Birkenstocks may be cool enough for Barbie but the sandals do not qualify as works of art, a German court has ruled.The company had claimed its footwear could be classified as art and so was protected by copyright laws in a case it put forward to stop rivals selling copycat versions of the cork-soled sandals.But a judge dismissed the claim, saying the shoes were practical design items.Birkenstocks were once…