Busan, South Korea – Local citizen groups have voiced concerns that Busan’s newly unveiled city emblem, which has an $11 million promotional budget, may have plagiarized the logo of a foreign cryptocurrency company.
On May 2, various local citizen groups held a press conference to express their disapproval of the new city emblem and criticize the city council. They alleged that the new emblem plagiarized a foreign cryptocurrency company’s logo and called for its immediate removal.
In March, Busan revealed its new city emblem, inspired by the English initials B and S, which were artistically combined using color and angle to create a 3D image. The previous emblem, established in 1995, depicted a combination of mountains, sea, seagulls, and Oryukdo islands.
Civic groups pointed out that Busan’s new emblem design bears a striking resemblance to the logo of a Dutch company engaged in the production and distribution of digital cryptocurrencies. They highlighted similarities in the use of blue, purple, and maroon colors and the 3D representation of the letter ‘B’ as grounds for their plagiarism accusations. They also suggested that a company specializing in ‘product design’, rather than an expert in visual design, might have led the project, potentially leading to the alleged plagiarism.
The groups have called for the creation of a new emblem that encapsulates the identity of the city and announced their intention to pursue a cease-and-desist order. They also raised concerns about procedural issues, such as the small sample size of 1,000 people for the preliminary feasibility study, which they argue inadequately represents the opinions of the city’s 3.3 million residents. Furthermore, they highlighted the lack of a related ordinance amendment before the city emblem was finalized.
Critics have also pointed out that ‘BS’ is an abbreviation for a vulgar term in English-speaking countries, further complicating the issue.
In response, Busan city officials maintain that there is no issue with the new emblem. Drawing on advice from an international patent and law firm, they argue that the new emblem does not infringe on any copyrights and does not constitute plagiarism or unauthorized use. They assert that while the ‘B’ design may be similar, the colors and techniques employed are different, thus negating the plagiarism claims.
Despite the controversy, the city is determined to bolster promotional efforts for the new emblem, investing $11 million over the next five years to raise awareness of the new city symbol.
