NYU Langone Health settled a yearslong lawsuit alleging that Northwell Health copied its advertising campaign by using similar colors and fonts, declaring that the two competitor hospitals came to a material agreement ahead of their scheduled court date.

NYU Langone and Northwell said in a joint letter to two Manhattan judges in late December that after “months of negotiation,” they agreed on the essential points of a settlement. They requested that the case be removed from the court’s calendar and said they would finalize an official agreement by Feb. 20, 2026, two months after the letter was sent. The case was dismissed the following week.

“Northwell acknowledges that dark purple is a recognized feature of NYU Langone’s brand identity, including its advertising, marketing and communications,”  the hospitals said in a joint statement to WSN. “Northwell will continue to express its brand identity by featuring the many colors in its constellation color palette.” 

The two hospitals did not specify what the material agreement entailed, and said they would not make any further comments on the case.

NYU Langone’s 2023 complaint claimed that Northwell deceptively copied its color schemes by predominantly featuring a similar shade of purple, paired with accent colors used by NYU. Citing its rankings and accolades, NYU Langone claimed that Northwell — New York’s largest health care provider, based out of Long Island — had “intent to deceive customers” by appearing affiliated with NYU Langone.

The medical center referenced a purple and teal color scheme in Northwell’s online advertisements in October 2021 — seven months after NYU Langone released a similar design in March — as well as orange and white accents it had used in January 2021 campaigns. It also accused Northwell of mimicking its fonts and design choices, such as all-cap, sans serif headlines and pairing photos with purple banners.

In August 2023, Northwell accused the university’s medical center of “cherry-picking” parts of its advertising, including the use of the color purple, to make false claims in the lawsuit. Seven months later, a judge dismissed parts of the case’s claims, deeming them “confusing” and “vague,” prompting NYU to amend the complaint. The two parties exchanged resolutions out-of-court for several months before reaching their December deal.

Contact Natalie Deoragh at [email protected].