"T" Time

Caveat lessee

How's everybody doing with the new logo for NYC taxi cabs? It's a "T." Get it? Gone is the helpful rate chart that used to adorn the passenger- and driver-side doors.

(Courtesy MBTA)

There's no trademark protection for a single letter. But a capital T in the middle of a circle struck a distant chord. Where have we seen that? Of course, the longstanding logo for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). THE T! But there is a difference: Our T is a filled circle with a cutout T (a little like the old subway token); theirs is a white circle with a black T. Litigation disaster narrowly averted.

Here's a an ex-hack that's avoiding the whole problem with a homemade "Not for Hire" sign. What's next? Retired police cars with the motto: "Not to serve and not to protect"?