NYU Langone filed a lawsuit Thursday against Northwell Health accusing them of imitating their color scheme and using a similar shade of purple in their advertising and buildings to capitalize on Langone’s “substantial investment in its brand.”

Langone, which has a hospital in Mineola, alleges Northwell, based in New Hyde Park, intentionally copied their “unique” color and font in multiple forms of advertising–including billboards and digital ads–to exploit their reputation. 

The lawsuit, filed in New York’s Southern District Court, accuses Northwell of engaging in “deceptive trade practices.”

Langone cited its placement in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 “Best Hospitals Honor Roll”, the top spot in New York and #3 in the nation, as evidence of its goodwill and reputation that Northwell has not achieved. 

The lawsuit, which includes multiple side-by-side comparisons, alleges that Northwell has copied Langone’s advertising and marketing campaigns, color schemes, fonts, headline styles and visual identity.

“Northwell’s conduct is not only unfair, but by hitching its brand to NYU Langone, Northwell has created a likelihood of confusion as to the affiliation, connection, or association of Northwell with NYU Langone, to the detriment and harm of NYU Langone,” the lawsuit said. 

Attorneys for Langone claim that Northwell “has bathed” its Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead as the same or nearly the same purple that Langone uses.

Northwell, which has 16 of its 21 hospitals on Long Island, is the state’s largest health care provider with over 85,000 employees. 

Ramon Soto, Northwell’s chief marketing and communications officer, told The New York Post they use branding with a wide array of colors.

“NYU Langone’s claim that it owns the color purple for health care services is nothing short of preposterous. And it’s an insult that part of the complaint includes a hospital’s Code Lavender COVID-19 memorial,” Soto told The Post. “Northwell Health is proud of its distinct branding, which uses a wide variety of colors, and how it leverages research, education and clinical excellence to differentiate from others in the market. Northwell is much more than just a color in our ads.“

Langone also pointed to the trademarks it has registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for designs that use the color purple, including its health app. 

The lawsuit said Northwell began to copy Langone once the latter started to increase its footprint in Long Island. In 2019, Langone acquired Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola and Long Island Community Hospital in March 2022, increasing its share of the local market, the lawsuit claimed.

Langone is seeking damages, attorney fees and a permanent injunction barring Northwell from using “confusingly similar advertising.”