Bad news for British costumers?

[Matt_Fury]

The Lucas legal bureau is at it again.

I'm not 100% convinced that Team Lucas will win out this time.

[Jesse James]

The costume designer didn't make the designs, he made the costumes...  The designs were LFL intellectual properties first, so I think he's really not got much of a case there against LFL.  At least if I'm reading that correctly that's what I'm concluding.

It's all about the intellectual property, not whether you were contracted to make the first one based on that intellectual property...

It's like an ILM model-maker mass producing X-Wings and selling them for $5000 each as he makes them like he did in the 70's.  That doesn't make him the X-Wing creator, just the manufacturer.  So I don't think this guy's got a leg to stand on.

[speedermike]

I agree Jesse.  McQuarrie and Mollo designed the Stormtroopers, and they were PAID by Lucas to do so.  Lucas owns the idea 100%.

As someone who makes money from intellectual properties (my childen's books), I'm glad Lucas goes after these guys.  Why should they make money off his idea?

[Rob]

I highly doubt this argument is going to fly.  I don't know what the laws are in the UK, and I don't know what they were like back in the 1970's when the helmet was first created, but where I work, anything I design becomes the sole property of the studio (on an internal project) or the client. 

[Jesse James]

Exactly...

I think he's po'd that he can't cash in on the Star Wars gravy train is all...  What he needs to do is get his ass out and start signing Stormtrooper's helmets within the 501st or other costuming groups.  Maybe they'd pay him for that, but making/selling armor is a licensed deal based on intellecual properties...

Basically all this guy is doing is cutting into whoever at this point owns the license to make any kind of prop for Star Wars, that's all.  I think he could see legal action from two fronts if the powers that be were so inclined...

Same goes for companies that cast Star Wars action figure parts...  They overlook you if you keep it small.  When you branch out and turn it into a business...  You're SOL if they tell you to knock it off.  It's really no different because you're marketing Star Wars items without paying to do so.

[Matt_Fury]

Good points.  I'm not 100% sure on the British laws, but who knows.  He probably won't win, but something in the article made me think possibly.

[speedermike]

Well, what laws would apply, US or British?  The work was done in Britain, but the company was Lucasfilm, located in the US.

[Matt_Fury]

British court so I guess they'd go with British laws.