Shepperton Design Studios

Shepperton Design Studios is a manufacturer of Star Wars props and memorabilia, based in England. Established in 1974 by Andrew Ainsworth, the company was asked in January 1976 to produce first the helmets, then the body armours for the Imperial stormtroopers in the classic Star Wars films.

Copyright dispute with Lucasfilm

Permission from Lucasfilm to produce replicas of the stormtrooper helmets was granted since then to various companies. However, in 2004 Shepperton Design Studios claimed to have discovered in their possession one of the moulds used to create the original helmets, and began production of new replicas from them. In 2006, Lucasfilm sued Shepperton Design Studios for infringing copyright and making false claims regarding the original status of the moulds they used. Ainsworth did not defend the case in the US, and the United States District Court for the Central District of California gave summary judgment in favour of Lucasfilm, awarding a USD $20 million compensation.

To ensure the decision was enforced in England, Lucasfilm also took the case to the High Court of Justice. Ainsworth's legal team argued that the stormtrooper helmet was a piece of industrial design rather than a work of art, and as such was not under Lucasfilm's copyright. In addition, they claimed that Ainsworth was not under a formal contract with Lucasfilm when assigned to produce the helmets, and that copyright in the design was vested in him, stating that SDS would counterclaim for a percentage of merchandising profits. [Pavia, Will: [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3708810.ece Star Wars stormtroopers invade the High Court] , "The Times", April 9 2008.]

The legal proceedings in the English High Court began on 8 April 2008 and continued for three weeks. Mr Justice Mann subsequently delivered a lengthy written judgment on 31 July 2008, in which he rejected both Lucasfilm's claim for copyright infringement under English law, and its claim to enforce the judgment it had obtained in California. [ [http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2008/1878.html "Lucasfilm Ltd v Ainsworth"] , BAILII.] However, he did find that Lucasfilm could enforce a claim in the English courts for copyright infringement under US law. He also dismissed a number of additional claims against Mr Ainsworth, including that he had passed off his goods as those of Lucasfilm. [Phillips, Jeremy: [http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2008/08/star-wars-latest-episode.html Star Wars: the latest episode] , IPKat, August 4, 2008.] Argument as to Mr Ainsworth's liability under US copyright law was deferred to a subsequent hearing, pending also applications by both parties to appeal.

References

External links

* [http://www.sdsprops.com/ Shepperton Design Studios official website]
* [http://www.lucasfilm.com/press/news/news20061011.html Lucasfilm press release about lawsuit]
* [http://rpf.exoray.com/LFL_vs_SDS/ Alleged text of the California civil docket in the Lucasfilm vs SDS case]