New York State has gone to court to protect its "I Love NY" logo, trademarked almost 30 years ago, from a New Jersey upstart.

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The Empire State Development Corp. holds the rights to the symbol of an "I" and an "NY" with a heart in the middle and, in fact, holds the rights to the heart with anything around it, the New York Post reports. Over the years, there have been hordes of imitators, making for an endless legal fight.

The latest battle is with a New Jersey comedian, Ray Maniaci, proprietor of "I (heart) New Jersey." His T-shirts, coffee mugs and similar items sell at stores on the Jersey Shore, and he also offers shirts on his Web site, including one that substitutes a marijuana leaf for the heart.

New York wants him to cease and desist.

"The logo belongs to the people of the state of New York and they rely on us to project it," said Mark Weinberg, a spokesman for the Empire State Development Corp.