Branding is a big deal these days, we all know that, but how does a small Auckland litigation law firm now have the capacity to prevent Tokyo from re-branding itself?
The issue involves the humble ampersand, which Tokyo have used to market themselves with an announcement made by the City’s Governor at a press conference recently.
The catchphrase used by the city is “&TOKYO”, but it has been receiving attention for something Tokyo has already had to deal with previously: copyright breach.
The logo is the same as that used by Auckland-based Jones & Co, who feature the ampersand in the same style as the much-heralded Tokyo brand. And it places the city on the back foot because it has already had to deal with the embarrassment of withdrawing the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo recently for reasons of alleged plagiarism.
Is this all a case of deja vu?
Are the Auckland litigators at Jones & Co intending to take the law into the hands that already handle such disputes?
Well, LawFuel is told that “no”, they will not be suing the Japanese capital. The news was of obvious interest to the firm, but not something they intend pursuing legal action over.
Apparently the new logo – or is that ‘unoriginal logo’ – was developed by the advertising agency Hakuhodo at a cost of $US1.09 million. It is is part of the Governor’s efforts to promote the city overseas, with a number of additions to the “&TOKYO” phrase working to emphasise highlights of the city for visitors.
Certainly Jones & Co founder Greg Jones (pictured)did not spend that sort of money on his ampersand.
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