Innovation Asset Blog

New York City publishers battle over trademarked phrase

Two of New York City's most beloved cultural publications - the Village Voice and Time Out New York - are now engaged in a controversial intellectual property battle centered on the use of the phrase "Best of NYC."

According to Reuters, legal representatives from Village Voice Media have taken exception to Time Out's latest cover art, accusing the magazine of trademark infringement. Although the phrase in question would seem to be fair game for common use, Village Voice did in fact trademark "Best of NYC" in 2008 and has made similar moves in cities around the country.

The IP protection affords the Village Voice the exclusive rights to use the phrase in "annual newspaper supplements" and "awards programs," according to the registration documents obtained by the news outlet.

To rectify the situation, the Village Voice has made several requests of the competing magazine. According to PaidContent.org, Time Out has been asked to surrender all profits derived from its latest edition and prosecutors may seek a court order calling for recall and destruction of the publications.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.