The Court Decides
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!
Lucasfilm has attempted to discredit Andrew Ainsworth as the original creator of the Stormtrooper helmet moulds used to create the helmets for ANH (read more about how the initial Stormtrooper was chosen here). 32 years on, the source of the initial clay helmet mock-ups was a key piece of evidence in the Court of Appeal, London when Lucasfilm brought (and lost) a case of copyright infringement against Andrew. Read on below...
Lucas chooses his Stormtrooper
---Lucas-viewing-Stormtrooper-mcok-ups.jpg)
George Lucas viewing the Stormtrooper mock-ups
On 20 January 1976, Nick Pemberton, local scenic artist and colleague of Andrew Ainsworth, went to the Studios and presented Lucas with a red clay helmet mock-up. The film studio's Liz Moore produced one made in grey clay. While Lucas was considering the red and the grey clay mock-ups, Nick was taken on a guided tour of the Studios' Art Department. Nick observed some further grey clay sculpting being done on the armour. John Barry (Art Director) told Nick that they were at a bit of a loss as to how to make the armour. Nick suggested that he knew someone who might be able to help. (Andrew!). After considering the clay sculptures, Lucas chose Red - the direction of Nick's efforts and the Studios' effort was abandoned.
Red clay sculpture identified
Skip forward 32 years to Lucasfilm claiming in court that the red helmet was made at the Studios by Liz Moore and hence all copyright belonged to Lucas. (Andrew knew that Nick always used red clay as it was cheaper...the Studios' art department always demanded the best fine grey clay!) In court, in a short dramatic court statement by Liz Moore's boyfriend (John Richardson), it was established that Liz Moore only ever used grey clay. Lucas' claim was totally dismissed.
Read for yourself the short court transcripts below (statements are directly from the formal court transcript and include the original numbering)
Day 1: 14 April 2008
Mr Richardson, boyfriend of Liz Moore - who worked for Lucas at the film studio - gave evidence to Mr Wilson, counsel for Andrew Ainsworth and Mr Bloch counsel for Lucasfilm, sitting before Mr Justice Mann in the High Court, London.
4 Cross-examination by MR WILSON
5 MR WILSON: Mr Richardson, you say you recall Liz working on
6 two sculptures in particular for the Star Wars film.
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. Did you visit her on the lot and see her doing it?
9 A. I did, yes.
10 Q. So you saw her sculpting the C-3PO?
11 A. I did indeed.
12 Q. Can you remember what sort of clay she used for doing
13 that?
14 A. Grey.
15 Q. Can you remember what clay she used for the Stormtrooper
16 helmet?
17 A. She always used grey clay. Everything I ever saw her
18 model was in grey clay.
19 MR WILSON: Thank you very much, Mr Richardson.
20 MR BLOCH: I have no re-examination, my Lord.
21 MR JUSTICE MANN: Thank you, Mr Richardson. You may think
22 your journey was hardly necessary but thank you very
23 much for coming.
24 A. Thank you for dealing with me, sir.
25 MR JUSTICE MANN: Right.
Day 2: 15 April 2008
Following Mr Richardson's dramatic statement, the case before Mr Justice Mann continued the following day, 15 April 2008.
13 MR BLOCH:(Counsel for Lucas) My Lord, in the light of the evidence given by
14 Mr Richardson yesterday, we no longer seek to establish
15 that the red clay sculpture was made by Liz Moore.
16 The next witness will be Mr Gary Kurtz.
17 MR JUSTICE MANN: Would you give me a moment? My computer
18 is now obstructing me. (Pause) Yes, I'm sorry,
19 Mr Bloch. Just before we move on to that, you are no
20 longer saying that that sculpture was Liz Moore's
21 sculpture?
22 MR BLOCH:Yes.
23 MR JUSTICE MANN: Are you able to tell me how the witness
24 was allowed to go in the witness box with his witness
25 statement in the state in which it was when one
1 straightforward question simply demolished the whole
2 purpose -- well, the principal purpose -- perhaps not
3 the whole purpose -- of his giving evidence. Are you
4 able to tell me that or is that all privileged material?
5 MR BLOCH: It is privileged material and it's also something
6 which I have not discussed with those who were involved
7 with the preparation of the evidence in any depth, but
8 the evidence came as a surprise to me and I believe also
9 to them.
10 MR JUSTICE MANN: Right. Well, there it is.
Lucas authenticates the armour
As well as the helmets, Lucas also initially questioned the authenticity of SDS armour and supplied Laela French from the Lucas archives to act as an expert witness.
The night before the hearing, both sides laid out their respective sets of armour in court and both barristers Mr Bloch QC (Lucas) and Mr Wilson QC (Ainsworth/SDS) inspected the respective sets of armour.
Later that evening (23.06 pm, 8 April 2008), the SDS camp received a formal letter from the Lucas camp which read:
Dear Sirs.
We are writing to confirm what was said by Mr Bloch QC to Mr Wilson QC this evening, namely that we will not be seeking to establish for the purpose of these proceedings that the dimensions and design features of the replica props being produced by the Defendants, differ in any material respects from the props which Mr Ainsworth produced for Star Wars: a New Hope, and that consequently we will not be calling Ms French.
Yours faithfully...
A helmet from Original Stormtrooper
Andrew Ainsworth notes "I rest my case. Even to this day, some Lucas followers try and suggest that the red clay was sculpted at the film studio. I hope the exposure of the court evidence dispels this myth once and for all. It's clear that my colleague Nick created the red clay mock-up which I then used to sculpt the original moulds which created the on-screen helmets."
