Tag: copyright infringement

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LFL wins Shepperton infringement case in the UK?

Lucasfilm has won their British copyright infringement case against Shepperton Design Studios. A High Court judge affirmed that LFL is indeed the rightful owner of the stormtrooper costume designs and that Andrew Ainsworth’s company infringed by selling unlicensed reproductions of the iconic armor. No damages are mentioned in the UK case, but LFL may choose to pursue an appeal under UK industrial design law.

UPDATE: A story from the AP notes that both sides are claiming victory; More details at TheLawyer.com. (via)

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LFL wins lightsaber lawsuit

Suprise, suprise: Lucasfilm Ltd. is the victor in their court battle against High-Tech Magic, which sold unauthorized lightsaber replicas. The Maryland company has the privilege of paying LFL $250,000 (ouch!) and is banned from selling any facsimile of a lighted or glowing sword … and/or parts designed to enable others to build.”

Here’s the raw press release. Paranoid fans, pay special attention to Lucas Licensing President Howard Roffman on such matters: “Our goal is to go after and shut down businesses that are trying to make a profit off of creations and properties that do not belong to them.”

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Beware the trademarks!

Richard Stevens of Diesel Sweeties, who has been selling Star Wars themed t-shirts for a few years now, recieved a Cease & Desist from Lucasfilm. Comic Journal blog Journalista gives a good analysis of the situation. (via Digg)

I think it’s worth saying that Lucasfilm is well within their rights to do this kind of thing: fandom is not entitled to make money off someone else’s property, something fanfic folks are well aware of, but occasionally let slide when it comes to other areas. Overall, Star Wars fandom has has been very, very lucky in our dealings with the Powers-That-Be, at least for the last decade or so. They’re not exactly mowing down everyone in sight, remember?