A debate was raging across the nation yesterday after a senior official demanded China Central Television (CCTV) change its 30-year-old logo because it breaks regulations.

Wang Dengfeng, director of the spoken and written Chinese language application and management department of the Ministry of Education, said logos for 20 television stations, including CCTV's 12 channels, "violate regulations and therefore need to be changed."

The logos were either in abbreviated English, or a mixture of English and Chinese.

The Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, implemented in January 2001, states that logos for film and television broadcasters should be in the basic language of China, which is Mandarin Chinese.

"The language used in TV logos should abide by the law to promote national culture," Beijing Times quoted Wang as saying yesterday.

The official revealed his and other State departments were looking into the use of logos in foreign languages, with the findings expected early next month.

An official for CCTV said the company felt its logo was now a recognizable symbol for viewers as it has been used for decades.

"It would be difficult to change it. It could be changed only if the highest authorities felt it had to be done," he said.

Jiang Zhipei, former chief justice of the Supreme People's Court's IPR Tribunal, said the logo used by CCTV does not need to be changed.

"It has been used for 30 years and the law came into effect long after the establishment of the CCTV logo," Jiang said.

China Central Television was founded in 1958 and established the English abbreviation of CCTV in 1978.

"Some TV logos, including CCTV's, have a certain market value. If they are not allowed to use it they would lose out on the value already created," Jiang added.

But some supported making the change. One netizen called Minshanxue on Xinhuanet wrote: "As State TV, the logo should absolutely be transliterated in Chinese. It has an impact on the national image."