Star Wars stormtroopers in British court over copyright battle

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — A legal clash pitching Star Wars director George Lucas against a prop designer who made the costumes for the 1977 movie's stormtroopers opened at London's High Court Tuesday.

Lucas's production company Lucasfilm is suing designer Andrew Ainsworth, who is now selling replicas of the costumes to fans of the film for up to 1,800 pounds (2,257 euros, 3,545 dollars), for copyright infringement.

The unusual case saw a range of armour and helmets from the science fiction classic go on display in the 19th century courtroom, raising eyebrows among the legal profession.

At the start of the case, judge George Mann asked Michael Bloch, lawyer for Lucasfilm: "Will they be there for the entire case?"

Bloch replied: "You will hear a lot about helmets...