An American city has been criticised for adopting a logo similar to that of Dubai developer Emaar.
Amarillo, a city of 191,000 residents in northern Texas, unveiled its design as part of its 100th anniversary commemorations on November 9.
But the logo – white sun rays against an orange background above a blue panel bearing the city’s name and the phrase “open spaces, endless opportunities” – is virtually identical to Emaar’s sunshine branding.
Emaar, builder of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, registered its logo with the US patent office in 2006, according to the Associated Press.
"To avoid legal liability please ensure that you immediately ... cease using the logo of Emaar and ... withdraw all items bearing said logo," Emaar's legal director, Khaled Amin, wrote in a November 12 email obtained by the Amarillo Globe-News and posted on its website.
The city was infringing on intellectual property rights, he said.
Amarillo’s representatives tried to convince Emaar to allow the city to use the logo, as the emblems were similar, but different, they argued.
“Your sophisticated clients and potential clients are probably not likely to encounter the logo of our Texas municipality, or to confuse our city for that of your esteemed business,” Amarillo’s lawyer, Marcus Norris, wrote in an email, posted on the newspaper’s website.
“Therefore, I am writing to kindly ask for your acquiescence for the city of Amarillo to use its new logo.”
Emaar did not acquiesce, and the city has since abandoned its use of the branding, which it said on its website was designed by city staff.
“Two city departments researched the artwork to avoid duplication with any similar mark, and at the time did not find any similarities,” a statement on the city of Amarillo website said. “However, despite this due care, it has now been brought to our attention that our logo bears a clear resemblance to that of an overseas company. That was certainly not the intention and was not discovered until after the new logo was unveiled.”
The city, which reportedly spent just over US$25,000 (Dh91,825) printing the logo on various commemorative items, has since teamed up with the local newspaper and launched a contest to solicit designs for a new logo.
“Perhaps, in some small way, this might foster a new relationship between Dubai and Amarillo that was unforeseen before now,” said Mr Norris.
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
