Star Wars Stormtrooper Design Lawsuit Comes to an End

Following up from a story we reported on back in early April, it looks like the copyright fortress that keeps George Lucas as its king is impenetrable after all. As you might recall, Andrew Ainsworth, who designed the Stormtrooper costumes for the original Star Wars film, had run afoul with Lucas by selling replicas of the costumes using the original molds. But after months and months in court, the final decision has come down and it’s sort of a win/loss for both sides. The judge hearing the case said Ainsworth did break US copyright laws, but he won’t have to pay the millions of dollars in fines because of it. And he didn’t break any intellectual property laws in the UK, so he can keep selling the replicas there, but he doesn’t get to have the exclusive rights handed to him. So, overall, despite probably being out a few million in legal fees, both seem pretty pleased with how things ended up.

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