Texas city apologises to Emaar after copying logo

The 100-year anniversary is a great occasion for any city, and deserves a suitable celebration. So it was the Texan city of Amarillo in the US, which went about repackaging and refreshing itself, including its logo, to look younger for its 100-year bash.

Unfortunately, the ‘new’ logo that the city’s designers came up with was so strikingly close to Dubai-based international master developer Emaar Properties' stationery that they had to shelve it.

The city had to revert to its original logo during last month’s centennial celebrations as the discovery came in too late for it to go ahead with another design option. The website now features an older logo that includes a longhorn, a rising jet and wheat stalks.

“As part of the celebration, the city is working with Double U Marketing of Amarillo to help brand the City for the next 100 years. With your help, a new City logo, slogan and mission statement will be developed and unveiled in November,” the official city website announced prior to the celebrations.

The new logo part, however, had to be shelved after the US Patents Office discovered that the proposed new logo was almost an exact replica of the Emaar-registered emblem. Reportedly, Amarillo then contacted Emaar to ask if it would object to the city’s use of the logo.

Of coursem the Dubai-based property developer objected to it. Emaar’s legal team made it clear to the violating city authorities that the developer’s logo was legally protected under IPR, and asked Amarillo to cease and desist from using it.

On their part, the city’s legal department gracefully apologised for the mix-up and a spokesperson said that the city opted to use the previous emblem out of professional courtesy to a Dubai company that owns the rights to a logo similar to one the city unveiled during a 100th city charter anniversary gala Saturday (November 9).

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