"What happens in Las Vegas typically doesn�t last for very long, but Mrs. Willis�s fluorescent sign proclaiming 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada' ..."

"... designed by her and installed by Clark County, Nev., in 1959 in a $4,000 splurge of civic boosterism, became a beloved and surprisingly enduring symbol of the casino capital�s extravagance."

From the obituary of Betty Willis, who died Sunday at the age of 91.

�We thought the town was fabulous, so we added the word,� Mrs. Willis said in a 2005 interview with The New York Times. �There was no other word to use.�

She never copyrighted the logo or profited from the sign directly. �It�s my gift to the city,� she said, although she later acknowledged: �I should make a buck out of it. Everybody else is.�

The image was freely reproduced on souvenir tchotchkes ranging from snow globes to Las Vegas centennial license plates.

If the image hadn't been freely reproduced, would it have lasted all these years and would we be reading her obituary today?