Lucasfilm Ltd., filed suit today against William Osburn and his Maryland-based company High-Tech Magic, in an attempt to shutter his business of making and selling lightsaber replicas.
“When companies like the defendant in this case try to make a profit by confusing fans and flagrantly violating our trademark rights, we have to take action,” said Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing, which oversees the global Star Wars merchandise business that was established after the success of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope in 1977.
“We owe it to our fans – as well as to companies like Hasbro and Master Replicas, which are producing excellent authorized toy and replica lightsabers – to stop this type of unlawful behavior,” Roffman said.
The case likely won’t go away easy either. Lucasfilm recently won a $20 million copyright-infringement case against U.K.-based Shepperton Design Studios, which made and sold pirated Stormtrooper and other Star Wars helmets. I’m not sure how long Osburn’s been building his sabers, but the cheapest fully assembled one appears to be $249 and the company sells a number of kits, light tubes and handles as well. And if they sold well, he could be in for a whopping loss.
High-Tech Magic [web site]
Pirated Lightsabers Targeted by Lucasfilm Ltd. in Trademark-Infringement Lawsuit [press release]
Lucasfilm Ltd. Wins Major Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Star Wars Stormtrooper Pirate [press release]