New York tells Microsoft to remove "corporate graffiti"
Microsoft is the latest corporation to run afoul of local laws with its guerrilla marketing, as IBM did in San Francisco (was it last year?) with its pavement markings related to its Linux products, according to this Wall Street Journal story (subscription required):
"We intend to hold your firm directly responsible for this illegal, irresponsible and dangerous defacing of public property," Cesar Fernandez, the Transportation Department's assistant counsel, said in a letter sent to Microsoft on Thursday.
The decals began appearing Thursday on sidewalks, doorways, traffic signals and stop lights as part of an advertising campaign for the company's MSN 8 Internet service. They could still be see all around town on Friday.
...A spokeswoman for Microsoft said the company had received a permit to place the blue, green, orange and yellow butterflies on city property. She did not, however, identify what agency issued the permits for the decals, which was handled for Microsoft by the McCann-Erickson advertising firm.