Hollywood : Studio Buys Rights to Sign

As far as the people at Universal Studios are concerned, one Hollywood sign isn’t enough. So the studio has purchased the rights to duplicate the giant hillside landmark. A copycat sign will soon stand over the Universal Studios Tour theme park--itself a copy of the Los Angeles attraction--being built in Orlando, Fla. Additional replicas may be part of proposed parks in Europe and Japan, said Steve Lew, president of the Universal Studios park in Florida.

“Hollywood means motion pictures and television,” Lew said. And the Hollywood sign “is synonymous with what the world thinks of stars and glamour and glitter.”

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the rights to the 450-foot-long, 55-foot-tall sign. No one would say how much Universal Studios paid for the right to duplicate it, but chamber President Bill Welsh said the money will be used to maintain the landmark, which includes replacing pieces taken by souvenir hunters.