BLOGS
The Guardian has reported on the outcome of a battle in "the royal courts of justice" between British prop designer Andrew Ainsworth and his nemeses Emperor Palpatine and the Death Star -- er, I mean, George Lucas and Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm, which had previously won a $20 million damages judgment against Ainsworth for copyright infringement in California in 2005, took their fight to the U.K., where Ainsworth was still manufacturing and selling replicas of the iconic white "stormtrooper" armor from the Star Wars film franchise.
To date, Ainsworth hasn't paid up, and the judge in the new case rejected Lucasfilm's request to make Ainsworth pay the money he owed. Morever, Ainsworth will be allowed to continue selling the replicas anywhere but in the U.S. Still, Lucasfilm's reps "said they regarded the ruling as a victory." I don't think either side can really claim to have the Force on their side on this one. It's really sort of a draw. It was as if a million voices cried out in pain and then suddenly went, "Eh, whatever. You sell your stuff over here, and he sells his stuff over there."
The real winners are the fans, who can continue to buy the suits of armor that allow them to look like a hybrid of foot soldier and mini-fridge. Victory doesn't come cheap, though. Ainsworth, who worked on the first Star Wars film, sells the suits for £1,800 apiece. That's over $3500, for those of you keeping track at home. That's a down payment on a new car, right there. And that $3500 price tag doesn't even include the cost of baby powder to keep you from getting an unsightly heat rash around your glowrod.
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