LONDON (AP) - Renowned French shoe designer Christian Louboutin has defended his court battle to protect his famous red stiletto soles.

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Louboutin, who is suing fellow French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent for trademark infringement in a U.S. court, argues that he is not trying to monopolize the color red.

The designer said Monday he is defending his ownership to "a specific color in a specific place" of a shoe.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Louboutin called YSL's parent company PPR hypocritical because one of its brands, Gucci, also claims ownership of a specific color combination - red and green stripes - in its logo.

Louboutin was in London to open a major retrospective exhibition at the Design Museum to mark the 20th anniversary of the brand.