New York Has Been Suing ‘I ♥ NY’ Copycats—Even Threatened Creator Milton Glaser
Image via Wollertz / Shutterstock.com
The ‘I ♥ NY’ logo, created by the late design legend Milton Glaser, has got to be one of the most recognizable and imitated logos ever. The branding isn’t just a mainstay in New York’s souvenir stores, but you can also buy it in various forms—with the slogan either intact or remixed to bizarre extremes—from stores sweeping every corner of the world.
As much as the logo has been replicated and parodied, you might wish to think twice before taking inspiration from it as it might lead to legal trouble. It turns out that intellectual property manager CMG Worldwide has been actively taking action on copycats on behalf of the New York State Department of Economic Development.
Even Glaser, who designed the logomark pro bono for a New York state tourism campaign in 1977, wasn’t spared one time. Gothamist reported that the NYSDED had threatened to sue the originator when he reworked the piece after the 9/11 attacks.
The ‘I ♥ NY’ campaign was intended to last in New York for only six months, but its effect continues to grip the world 40 years later, an impact that mystified the designer himself even through his final days.
Back at home, it captured the intrigue of New York Times graphics editor Larry Buchanan, who recently posted records by NYSDED, claiming trademark violations over the ‘I ♥ NY’ logo, in response to Glaser’s passing.
The logo started to have a hold on Buchanan after he had come across an episode about the trademark in the 99% Invisible podcast as well as a report on a legal dispute between the department and a coffee shop, according to Fast Company. He then felt drawn into the ‘I ♥ NY’ trademark breach “rabbit hole,” and in 2015 requested to obtain all related cease and desist letters from the state over the previous year.
What he got back was a “glorious” 381-page PDF document with all sorts of logos wildly inspired by the iconic campaign.
NY state owns “I ❤️ NY”. That means your “I [REAL HEART] BIOLOGY” shirt is probably, technically, illegal ... unless someone licensed it. A company hired by the state sends cease and desist letters to offenders — companies big and small who make t-shirts, cookies, g-strings, etc.
— Larry Buchanan (@larrybuch) June 30, 2020
i space invade ny pic.twitter.com/5rMGbFPwkU
— Larry Buchanan (@larrybuch) June 30, 2020
The trademark expired in the 1990s, resulting in a spectrum of recreations and knockoffs, but the state has since renewed it and protected ‘I ♥ NY’—now worth millions of dollars—unyieldingly.
Interestingly, its need to dominate the branding contrasts greatly from the late Glaser’s belief about who truly owns the logo: the people.
In 2010, Glaser told DesignTAXI in an in-person interview, shown below, that he enjoyed all imitations of the New York icon. “I like them all… you do work because you want to affect the world,” he shared. “I did something that a lot of people were affected by.”
Full PDF here — https://t.co/K9SxsWmIrD
— Larry Buchanan (@larrybuch) June 30, 2020
[via Fast Company, cover image via Wollertz / Shutterstock.com]
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