Copyright battle
We produced the originals for the first Star Wars ANH film back in 1976 and are still producing fantastic products more than 30 years later. Read our story below!
In 2004, Andrew Ainsworth at Shepperton Design Studios began producing and selling replica ANH Stormtrooper helmets. Each helmet was handmade by Andrew using the original moulds that he'd kept in his prop store since they were first used to make the on-screen helmets used in the 1976 Star Wars film. Andrew recalls "The movie memorabilia market had really grown in popularity by then and there was a great deal of interest in my authentic replicas. I started to make the helmets and sold around 19 of them to Star Wars fans in the US."
Lucasfilm sued Andrew in the United States and a California court awarded $20 million in damages against him. Andrew did not have the means to defend the case, recalling that "taking on Lucas on his home patch is not a good idea". The upshot was that Andrew stopped selling his Stormtrooper helmets in the US.
Lucasfilm then looked to enforce the American copyright ruling in the UK and brought the case to the High Court in London. After an appeal in The Times (read online here), Andrew received offers from leading barristers to represent him in the case.
To cut to the chase, the case went to appeal where Lucasfilm failed to enforce its US copyright in Britain and Lucasfilm's appeal was dismissed in December 2009. Andrew Ainsworth won each of the copyright claims made against him leaving him free to continue producing and selling his authentic replica helmets in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world excluding USA.
Read Times article (opens in new browser window).
Read press release from solicitors Simmons Cooper Andrew
