Guarding the Dream: How Hollywood Protects the Icons of Creativity

For more than a century, Hollywood has been the beating heart of the world’s creative economy.

Home to nearly 400,000 artists, storytellers, and makers, it generates over $200 billion in output every year across film, fashion, music, gaming, and design.

But beyond the industry, Hollywood represents something even bigger: a symbol of imagination and ambition recognized across the globe.

Two landmarks define Hollywood’s global identity: the Hollywood Sign and the Walk of Fame Star.

The sign towers 42 feet high above Los Angeles, inspiring generations of dreamers, from movie stars to set builders. The Walk of Fame, with its 2,800+ embedded stars, celebrates the artists and creators whose work shaped culture itself.

These symbols aren’t just landmarks. They’re trademarks, legally protected intellectual property owned and managed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC).

Through official licensing, the Chamber shares these marks with the world while ensuring their integrity remains intact.

As the reach of Hollywood expanded, so did the misuse of its image.

As Hollywood’s fame grew, so did the misuse of its most recognizable symbols. Unlicensed sellers began producing counterfeit merchandise like shirts, mugs, keychains, posters, and digital artwork, bearing the Hollywood Sign and Walk of Fame without permission. Because the Hollywood brand is so widely recognized, it became an easy target for infringement.

For the Chamber, these weren’t harmless fakes. They threatened the integrity of Hollywood’s image and undermined legitimate, licensed partners who are local souvenir makers, artisans, and vendors who depended on the marks to make a living.

To confront the growing wave of digital infringement, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce partnered with MarqVision, whose AI-powered platform helps identify, track, and remove unauthorized uses of IP across global online marketplaces.

Through Marq AI, the Chamber could now monitor global listings in real time, enforce its rights efficiently, and focus on its mission: protecting Hollywood’s creative legacy while supporting its legitimate licensees.

This new visibility also revealed an unexpected opportunity. Many unlicensed sellers weren’t bad actors. They simply didn’t know the trademarks were protected.

Licensing the Hollywood Sign and Walk of Fame isn’t just about enforcement, but about impact. Every licensing dollar collected by the Chamber goes back into the community through the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation, which funds local nonprofits, civic projects, and cultural initiatives.

With the help of MarqVision, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is reclaiming control over its most valuable assets, not just to protect trademarks, but to preserve the symbols that define creativity itself.

The Chamber’s new partnerships, including a landmark licensing deal with United Talent Agency (UTA), are poised to expand Hollywood’s global reach and set new standards for how cultural institutions can manage and monetize intellectual property responsibly.

For over 100 years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has been the steward of the world’s creative capital.

Now, with MarqVision’s technology, it’s ensuring that the icons of creativity, and the dreams they represent, remain protected for generations to come.