Re: Re: Coipyright in the Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood sign is a registered trademark, the sign and the mark is owned by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce. There are photos of the sign all over the web. Whether it's trademark infringement depends on whether the use is commercial, confusing, or dilutes the value of the mark. You'll get a letter from the Chamber's lawyers if they find it with google. They'll probably listen to reason if you're not making money or making fun of Hollywood.

John Noble

At 6:05 PM -0400 6/15/05, Laura Young Bost wrote:
>I know that the movie SHREK 2 uses a similar sign and the credits
>acknowledge the Chamber of Commerce for the use.
>--
>Laura Young Bost, Rights Manager
>University of Texas Press
>P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819
>tel:512/232-7625; fax:512/232-7178
>email: laura[_at_]utpress.ppb.utexas.edu
>Please visit our NEW website at http://www.utexaspress.com
>*************************************************************
>
>On Wednesday, June 15, 2005 10:05 AM, R.G.McCracken
><R.G.Mccracken[_at_]open.ac.uk> wrote:
>> st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
>>
>>I57;m hoping that US colleagues on the list may be able to help
>>with advice on a recent request to pay licensing fees for use
>>of a photograph of the Hollywood sign.
>>
>>My university is a distance teaching university in the UK and
>>we host an open web site on which we place educational and
>>general interest content for access by members of the public.
>>One of the activities featured on the site contains a
>>photograph of the Hollywood sign, taken by one of our own staff.
>>We57;ve received a request to pay licensing fees for use of the
>>photograph from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerc, claiming that
>>the sign itself is protected by copyright.
>>
>>Is this the case, and does US legislation permit licensing of
>>this kind? Under UK copyright law works of art displayed
>>openly in public places may be photographed freely and a
>>similar photograph in the UK could be used without licence.
>>
>>Many thanks
>>
>>Richard McCracken
>>Head of Intellectual Property
>>The Open University
>
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Received on Fri Jun 17 2005 - 00:00:00 GMT