Hollywood versus Wellywood

The Hollywood Chamber of commerce is fiercely protective of the famous Hollywood landmark sign. Photo / Kristin Edge

Hollywood business representatives are weighing up legal action against Wellington Airport to stop the construction of a controversial 'Wellywood' sign.

The 30-metre-long sign is set to be erected on a Miramar Peninsular hillside, the airport announced on Saturday.

It was given resource consent by the city council last year.

Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said the project could breach his organisation's trademark on the iconic original 'Hollywood' sign.

His lawyers had written to the airport asking about the sign in March 2010 and had received acknowledgement the letter had been received later that month.

He thought the project had been abandoned after getting no further word on it from airport authorities and was disappointed to learn it was going ahead.

"As a matter of courtesy, we would have expected at a minimum a response from the airport authority as they had promised.

"We hope that this time our overture to WIAL to that end will be responded to in like spirit. Otherwise, the lawyers can sort it out, but that seems a shame, particularly in regard to a project that appears to be controversial in Wellington already."

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce saved the 'Hollywood' sign after it was demolished in 1978 and set up a trust to preserve it.

Mr Gubler said the organisation wanted to ensure its legal rights to the sign were not breached.

"We are not without a sense of humour, nor without legal rights. We hope that if the Wellington Airport wants to mimic our sign in this fashion, it will proceed in cooperation with us and will recognize that the holder of the rights to the sign and the party responsible for its continued existence is a nonprofit entity that works hard to raise funds so that the sign even exists to be mimicked."

Other cities, including Basildon and Hollinwood in the United Kingdom and Bowen in Queensland, have their own version of the 'Hollywood' sign.

About 140 people turned up to Wellington Airport to protest the 'Wellywood' sign last night.

Thousands of locals have expressed their opposition on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.