Comments on: Lucas Sues British Propster over StormTrooper Armour. Again.

By: someone in the know

someone in the know — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:12:26 +0000

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 helmets and suits.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:48:27 +0000

(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so) I hope that Shepperton Design Studios does not go out of Business because i never got a stormtrooper helmet from him!

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:46:39 +0000

(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:47:42 +0000

Day-Vuh & Nacho, Lucasfilm does licence companies to sell replicas to fans. Rubies costumes & Master Replicas in the US & Altman’s helmets in the UK are a couple that have sold licenced replicas. It is a niche market but it does exist and Lucasfilm recognises it. A quality high end replica company named Master Replicas was the last company to hold the licence that expired at the end of 2007. They made a line of Star Wars helmets that included the Stormtrooper helmet. Lucasfilm owes it to these companies to defend the copyright and insure licenced companies exclusive rights to sell these products. Lucasfilm doesn’t bother fans that create their own replicas only those individuals who mass produce and sell unlicensed Star Wars replicas. If Andrew Ainsworth wanted to legitimitely produce and sell these props than he could have bid for the licences when it was up last year as well as years before. It is not about the money it is about principal and standing up for the honest companies that cater to the Prop Replica market.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:46:13 +0000

I had the pleasure of visiting Andrew Ainsworth in Twickenham in 2005
& purchased a Stormtrooper helmet from him. He gave me a tour,
let me take photos and showed me original photos & paperwork
from Lucas. The original drawings that he used to sculpt with were
actually from John Molo the guy that got him involved. John sketches were based off Ralph Mcquarrie’s original design, Andrew’s design is based off these sketches, similar yes but exactly the same ,no. Andrew
originally contacted Lucas to get him involved when he started but Lucas immediately went on the attack. Lucas should have cut a deal with Andrew & acquired the original molds for the archive but Greedo just couldn’t..

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:34:23 +0000

The guy doesn’t have any right to produce these things, especially since he’s been successfully sued over it once already.

By the way, it’s SOP for productions now to get artisans to sign intellectual property agreements that clearly state all such property rights belong to the production, not the artisan.

By: Slushie Man

Slushie Man — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:46:17 +0000

The only reason anyone is even agreeing with the other guy, is cause they feel they have to bash Lucas and disagree with every decision he ever makes because they hated the Star Wars prequels. I see it all the time on various Movie Message Boards the only people that are siding with the other guy are people that you see time and again bashing Lucas every time his name is mentioned in something.

And the thing is, Lucas may be ignoring the demand, but it’s HIS property. If he chooses to ignore it, then fine, suck it up and deal with it.

By: Nacho

Nacho — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:52:05 +0000

There is a demand for Storm Troopers helmets and armor (I’d buy one if I could spare the money) that Lucas is ignoring so I think it’s great this guy is selling them or else nobody could get his hands on one of them.

If Lucas began selling the same product the guy would be out of business real quick. That’d be a lot easier than suing the guy.

By: tobor68

tobor68 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:16:36 +0000

lucas’ main concern is, if he doesn’t defend his copyright/trademarks, he loses them. that’s why he has to sue.

maybe he doesn’t like ainsworth, either.

By: Darren J Seeley

Darren J Seeley — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:47:31 +0000

It would have been all well and good if Ainsworth at least gave Lucasfilm a small slice of the pie. I would not call what Ainsworth does “counterfieting” – he does have the original mold. Let’s take a close look at that. He was probably ok’d to keep that mold for a memento and/or for his own personal use nothing more.

All Ainsworth had to do was call up Lucas, and ask. Instead, he violates copyright infringement. Here’s where I have zero sympathy for Ainsworth. Lucas wins the lawsuit. Ainworth has to cease his Stormtrooper line (at the very least) forfiet all his Trooper molds to Lucasfilm for abusing such trust and/or turning over a good chunk (if not all of) the current profits.

Ainsworth did his greedy deeds for profit and did not ask permission from Lucasfilm, and did not share profits with Lucasfilm, end of story. I don’t care. Put Ainsworth out of the Clone Army business.