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Lucasfilm grapples British rebel over stormtrooper outfits
LUCASFIM, the Star Wars business empire, is taking a man from Shepperton to the High Court today to stop him from making and selling replica stormtrooper outfits. Star Wars has netted an estimated $6 billion in merchandising alone since the film was released in 1977. The firm, which is wholly owned by George Lucas, is estimated to turn over $1 billion a year. Andrew Ainsworth makes stormtrooper outfits with moulds he designed for the original costumes used in the 1977 film.
He sells them for upwards of £1,000 a pop through his firm, Shepperton Design Studios. But Lucas sued Ainsworth in the US in 2006 for $20 million for breach of copyright. The enforcement arm of his business empire has had to pursue Ainsworth to the other side of the Atlantic to collect its dues, according to The Guardian newspaper.
Howard Roffman, the president of Lucas Licensing said in a statement about the 2006 ruling: "Infringers like Shepperton need to understand that we will pursue them anywhere in the world to shut them down and seek restitution."
Lucas kept the Lucasfilm coffers flush with the release of The Phantom Menace, the first of another series of Star Wars films in 1999. It was a film about a small state being ruthlessly pursued for its tax revenue.
In the eyes of the law, there might not be anything ruthless about Lucasfilm's challenge to Ainsworth. Ainsworth claims to own the copyright for the Stormtrooper costume, having designed it for the original film and having not signed a contract at the time that signed over his rights. Lucas claims the copyright is his and that Ainsworth's designs were fashioned after his own.
A spokesman for Lucasfilm would comment no further. It was a private company, he said, and the lawsuit was a matter for the court. µ
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Ainsworth did not design or sculpt anything - lucas employed a talented team of artists to design and sculpt the characters.
All Ainsworth did was the vacuum forming of the suits and helmets.
I don't get it. George Lucas refuses to put out decent replica costumes of the characters in his movies, but then gets mad when somebody else does. WTF?

If he really wanted to run Ainsworth out of business, Lucas would create his own high-quality yet affordable costumes. He (Lucas) certainly has the resources and overhead. There really is no excuse - he's just mad because somebody else did it better than him.

Rather than sue Ainsworth, Lucas should try to partner with him and bring the cost down.

Message to George: Stop licensing inferior products and start giving official Star Wars products the respect they deserve - you owe it to the fans as well as to the star wars legacy (without which you would be nothing).
"The British can only copy what the Americans do, they can't even brainstorm to make something creative".

Dany, you are an imbecile.

If it wasn't for the Brits our way of life would be radically different (if it would exist in its present form at all). Yes we are now THE superpower in the world but we sprouted from a seed the British empire sowed, like it or not. 

Regarding the Lucasfilm Vs Ainsworth battle, we will have to wait and see if the London courts uphold our decision. Personally I hope Ainsworth is allowed to continue making these fine replicas as they are without doubt the best ever to come onto the market and if he is shut down it will be a great shame for costumers and fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

All in the name of Lucas' greed, for christs sake, it's not like he is going to starve is it? Maybe he should start offering SCREEN ACCURATE replicas to the fans instead of all the laughable licensed crap we have been subjected to...Oh hang on, he doesn't have the moulds, does he? 

I suppose that next Lucas will want to seize all present and future assets of The UK Church of the Jedi, (founded by two brothers from Holyhead, on the fortress island of Ynys Mon_ somewhere in Wales of some other such dervish)!
Where Is Sith Lord Darth Spinola When You Need Him? When will this religious pisscation end? I can't even find an authentic-looking Guy Fawkes costume, because of that "V for Vendetta" fiasco.
Well, the hat is wrong, I think. But my point is, AT may erupt over this Lucasfried litigious brew. And we don't want to have a Bud wurser! (unless that's all there is.) Great Beechwood Powderkeg King of Bears, Indeed!! Vapid!
sometimes that happens i guess.

"
He obviously is the creator of them. The ARE his design."

he was hired to make something for a company. that doesn't make it his as most people who work for companies know. his creation would be nothing without lucas. basically he was bitter and tried to make a buck ripping off lucas by blatantly making money off a franchise that wasn't his own. doesn't matter if lucas is rich, it doesn't make this guys actions right.
Imagine if Mr Bell's descendants claim copyright to the phone......

Isn's this the same?

Whichever side is right/wrong in this particular case doesn't matter to me. However, does anyone else see the problem that Lucas still owns all "Intellectual Property" rights on an idea that is over 30 years old? Doesn't this stifle creativity on a far wider front than 1 costume designer?
Another wacky lawsuit in forming. Yeah, it may be Lucas's IP.
Fine. So where does Lucas sell Stormtrooper armor ?
Does he make any available ?
Not on Lucasarts.com he doesn't.
So if he doesn't sell any, why does he have the right to keep the maker/inventer from doing so ?
I mean, the seller in question is the GUY WHO ACTUALLY MADE THEM.
This is not just some asian sweatshop IP theft scheme, this is the original maker profiting from his work, while an ex-associate is grumbling about not having a cut.
Sorry Lucas, but I don't see your right in this. Especially if you didn't acquire the rights to the design at the time.
I'll be interested in the outcome.
The British can only copy what the Americans do, they can't even brainstorm to make something creative.
Ainsworth is the costume's designer, and he did not transfer copyright to Lucasfilm. Not everything in Star Wars is a product of "Lucas' imagination". In fact, judging from the "updated" versions of the original movies (not to mention the dreadful new ones), the less Lucas in them, the better.
B, I think you might be misunderstaning Copyright Law. If Lucas does indeed own the copyright on the suit, it doesn't matter who thought of it, only the person or organization with the copyright has the authority to replicate it. If this guy who designed the suit sold the Copyright to Lucas, he is in violation of the law because of that decision. The dispute outlined in this article is about whether or not he sold the Copyright. How would you react if you bought the copyrights on the suit only to have the person you bought it from keep using it? That's like buying a car from someone and having them take it out of your driveway on the weekends with the extra key they never handed over. Despite the way it sounds, copyright law is about protecting the rights of citizens like you and I even if one day we become very sucessful. We don't lose our rights.
Imagine the Nazis sued both of them for calling the suits 'stormtrooper' outfits.
Regardless of the reputation of Lucasfilms, it isn't okay for someone to make money by copying somebody's idea. If it were openly allowed, we'd have garbage products spilled throughout the world from every ma' and pa' shop who decides to throw them out. 

There has to be a line drawn. Even if they don't get fined millions, they should at least be reprimanded for pulling that shit. I don't care if Lucas makes 5 billion for each movie, nobody should be able to benefit from his imagination.
"Lucas kept the Lucasfilm coffers flush with the release of The Phantom Menace, the first of another series of Star Wars films in 1999. It was a film about a small state being ruthlessly pursued for its tax revenue."

That short paragraph makes that film sound much better than it actually was. Shame, it could (read should) have been so great.
weave herd uv it
What does it matter if he does make em?! Lucasfilm is already one rich bitch! And they are only suing him because he's been successful. If this guy was making bad replicas that sold didly poop they wouldn’t give two sh**s about it.
Typical greedy american bastards. 

"The prop designer was recruited to design the outfits in 1976 and sold the firsts 50 helmets to Lucas for £35 each"

He obviously is the creator of them. The ARE his design.