Northwell Well being fired again at rival NYU Langone Hospital on Tuesday within the medical behemoths’ authorized battle — over using the colour purple.
Northwell urged a federal choose in Manhattan to dismiss New York College Langone’s trademark lawsuit in opposition to it that claims Northwell has been ripping off NYU’s colour scheme, together with its purple hue in adverts.
NYU Langone filed the go well with in opposition to Northwell Well being in June.
New York College is so linked to the colour purple that “violets” is the nickname of its sports activities staff, and the colour is streamed throughout its internet pages, together with NYU Langone’s.
“NYU Violet is our principal model colour. It needs to be utilized in each communication and design,” the NYU web site says.
“Violet is a particular colour that has lengthy been related to the nonconformist who pushes boundaries to depart their mark on the world.”
However Northwell — New York’s largest health-care system — counters that NYU is in a delusional purple haze.
“Northwell filed a movement to dismiss NYU Langone’s unfounded lawsuit. NYU Langone doesn’t personal a trademark registration for any shade of purple for healthcare companies, and its case is predicated on cherry-picking sure items of Northwell promoting to make false claims, together with an assault on our hospital’s week-long COVID-19 recognition of well being care staff,” Northwell mentioned in a press release.
In its 25-page movement to dismiss the go well with in opposition to it, Northwell Well being legal professionals mentioned, “NYU Langone makes a lot of its and New York College’s use of the colour purple, or extra particularly violet, however doesn’t allege that it owns trademark or different unique rights in that colour.”
Northwell mentioned it has a historical past of utilizing quite a lot of fonts and colours from its copyright-protected Northwell “Constellation” emblem, used to showcase accomplishments in analysis, training and medical excellence to “differentiate ourselves from others within the markets — and we’ve been doing so since our 2016 rebrand.”
NYU stood its floor Tuesday, accusing Northwell Well being of copycatting its advert supplies to make purple rain — money — off its status.
“Of their movement, Northwell makes an attempt to attenuate their brazen copying of NYU Langone’s distinctive and recognizable promoting – together with fonts, layouts, and colour schemes – to confuse sufferers, who deserve the perfect care and the perfect outcomes,” mentioned NYU spokesman Steve Ritea.
NYU Langone launched pictures displaying Northwell Well being related — if not similar — use of purple and teal colour schemes in its advert campaigns that it alleges have been knockoffs of the identical hues in its adverts.
The 2 medical powerhouses have rival hospitals in key markets in New York Metropolis and Lengthy Island.
NYU Langone expanded companies into Lengthy Island, absorbing the previous Winthrop hospital in Mineola in 2019 and rebranding it as NYU Langone Hospital- Lengthy Island.
Northwell Well being’s base is in Lengthy Island and Queens, the place greater than half its 21 hospitals positioned there.
In the meantime, NYU Langone’s essential Tisch hospital and youngsters’s and orthopedic amenities are primarily based in Manhattan’s Kipps Bay and East Village neighborhoods.
Northwell Well being operates Lenox Hill hospital on the Higher East Aspect.
“It’s no coincidence that this shameless mimicry started as NYU Langone considerably grew on Lengthy Island, posing a perceived risk within the area,” NYU Langone’s Ritea mentioned.
