New York: Playboy Enterprises Inc, which owns the famed Playboy magazine the world over, is planning to launch a men's magazine in India. However, the magazine launched in India will not feature the magazines' trademark nudes or even its name, said Christie Hefner chief executive of the company.

Addressing the Reuters Media and Advertising summit, Hefner said the magazine would be an extension of Playboy and be focussed around the lifestyle, pop culture, celebrity, fashion, sports and interviews elements of Playboy. But according to her the magazine would not have nudity and it would not be called Playboy, she said.

Started by the inimitable Hugh Hefner in 1953 from an apartment, Playboy caters to local tastes and traditions around the world with its 20 editions rather than exporting the US content. The magazine would do the same in India she said.

Playboy is also talking to publishers in other countries from which it had earlier withdrawn, and others where it has never had a local edition.

Among the countries it is considering a reentry include Italy and Australia and the company is discussing joint ventures with local publishers in those countries.

Playboy also has ambitions for a British edition, where it now sells its US version.

Playboy Enterprises has gone through some bad times in the past. It is returning to profitability, partly by licensing deals that put its famous "Bunny Head" logo on everything from jeans to lingerie.

Its flagship, Playboy magazine, in particular, has been a drag on profit this year, posting a $700,000 loss last quarter and a 19 percent decline in advertising revenue. But despite the low profitability Playboy magazine with a circulation above three million copies, is still the top selling men's publication in the US.

This year the Indian government removed the FDI cap on non-news publications with the result that foreign publications can own up to 100 per cent in such periodicals.