State officials jealously guard the popular 'I Love NY' logo

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Published: 12:00am, 20 May 2008

New York

New York feels the love - from millions every day. Its suitors wear shirts that declare their love for the Big Apple, and they drink from cups and write with pens that do the same. The shopping bags and key chains express the same feelings. The worship is thanks to the ubiquitous logo 'I Love NY' with the middle word visualised by a red heart.

Since it was created in 1977 to help promote tourism in New York state, the logo has won the hearts of New Yorkers and tourists alike and may be the most popular logo for a geographic area in the world. And this month, the state government launched a campaign to take the heart even further. But, ironically, it might be less visible as a result.

With US$17 million in investment and a goal of boosting the number of tourists to the state by 30 per cent to 200 million by 2020, the campaign includes a series of promotions, including multimedia advertisements and a more convenient website for visitors. The focal point is the makeup of the red-heart logo, the first change since it was born. But the campaign includes a crackdown on the logo's unauthorised use. Those who adopt the trademarked red heart without permission will be taken to court.

A spokeswoman for the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the state's economic development agency, emphasised the campaign was mainly about boosting tourism but admitted tighter enforcement of trademark infringements was part of its strategy. It is consistent with the increasing efforts of the state to protect this asset. The US Patent and Trademark Office documents more than 20 'heart' related lawsuits filed by the state in the past five years, while there were only three from 1998 to 2002. Recent cases involved various derivatives from 'I Love NY Beer' and 'I Love YOGA' to 'I Love NJ' and 'I Love Las Vegas'.

The list would be longer if it included those who got warnings from the state, including Brisbane, Australia, for its 'I Love BNE' and Italian fashion house Gucci for its 'Gucci Loves NY'.