Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Imperial Storm Troopers Skirmish in Latest IP Battle

Posted by Zonk on from the oh-those-wacky-imps dept.

fm6 writes "According to guardian.co.uk, George Lucas is suing the designer of the Imperial Stormtrooper armor. Andrew Ainsworth took the original molds he used to make the props for the movies, and has been using them to make outfits that sell for up to £1,800 (US$3,600) apiece. Ainsworth has countersued for a share of the $12 billion that Star Wars merchandise has generated since the first movie."

2 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ungrateful Lucas? by Dun+Malg · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think that holders of copyrights and trademarks are obligated to protect them or else risk losing the copyright or trademark. trademark, yes. copyright, no.
    --
    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  2. Re:He was hired to do a job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    By default independent contractors under English law own their work. Assuming this guy was contracted rather than employed, unless otherwise specified by a contract he owns copyright.

    If, as the article says, Lucas bought the helmets by the unit already manufactured that would imply that the guy was an independent contractor. If the guy was an employee he would have been paid at a flat rate and it would have been irrelevant to him home many Lucas then had manufactured. If you buy a dozen prints of an artist's work that doesn't mean you own the original.