Per Courthouse News Service, Lucasfilm has filed a subpoena request against ImageShack, where user “Darth_Simi” has posted a gallery of leaked photos and supposed concept art.
Interestingly, Simi’s gallery does not seem to be the source of many of the images – they’ve also posted the set shots from TMZ, Greenham Commons aerial shots, the set shot from the Abu Dhabi newspaper plus cast paparazzi and red carpet pics from sources like Getty. (And didn’t the biggest batch of concept leaks actually come from millenniumfalcon.com?)
An image explicitly mentioned in the filing, which was our first look at the broadsaber that we saw in the teaser trailer, actually originates with and is watermarked by Star Wars Underworld, who has since removed it. There are other leaks that they could pursue as well without verifying them, such as the stormtrooper helmets.
However, Simi’s gallery is one of the most complete ones I’ve seen in terms of the various photo leaks, so I can see why Lucasfilm would want it gone, even if it is ‘just’ a collection. It’s practically a (visual) one-stop spoiler shop.
I’m not at all familiar with CNS as a news source, but if there’s any truth to this, I expect we’ll be seeing a lot less leaked art from here on out. Maybe that’s the point of the whole endeavor – not to take out the actual leakers, just to scare them enough that they don’t do it again. Say what you will about a site like Making Star Wars that’s generally only describing stuff, but it would take one a LONG time to go through all of what Jason and company have posted – far longer than an image gallery. (via)