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Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth Legal Battle Aftermath & Update: Andrew Ainsworth Owes Lawyers £3.5 Million

Following the UK Supreme Court ruling well over a year ago, legal website The Lawyer today reports that Andrew Ainsworth owes the legal firm that represented him in his dispute with Lucasfilm about £3.5 million.  Per the report, “[t]he case was brought on a conditional fee arrangement (CFA), and usually the court will order the losing side to cover the other’s costs”.  Since one issue was decided in favor of Ainsworth, and the other in favor of Lucasfilm, Ainsworth was never awarded a costs order, thus sticking him with a legal bill well into millions of dollars.  Ainsworth is quoted in the article noting that his legal team “gained a lot of kudos” for their apparently free (at this point) legal defense, though it will be interesting to continue to follow to see if his lawyers believe that they received £3.5 million pounds worth of kudos. [Read more…]

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“The Check That Bought Superman” at Auction (1938 Payment Made by DC Comics to Siegel & Shuster for Character Ownership)

Comic Connect is holding a very special, interesting, and historic auction for “The Check That Bought Superman”.  In fact, it is a check written by DC Comics in 1938 to Siegel and Shuster, creators of the character and comic book Superman, for $412, $130 of which was purportedly for the rights to the character. With about a week left at public auction, it is already bid up to $46,000.  Full details about the piece and the auction can be found at www.ComicConnect.com. [Read more…]

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Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions Featured on NBC’s ‘Today Show’ to Discuss Rare Unpublished Marilyn Monroe Photos

Julien’s Auctions Executive Director, Martin Nolan, appeared as a guest on this morning’s broadcast of The Today Show. In it, he discusses a set of rare Marilyn Monroe material which will be featured in their upcoming “Hollywood Legends” auction, which includes previously unseen photographs. [Read more…]

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Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions Featured on NBC’s ‘Today Show’ to Discuss Rare Marilyn Monroe Photos, Negatives, Copyright

Julien’s Auctions Executive Director, Martin Nolan, appeared as a guest on this morning’s broadcast of The Today Show. In it, he discusses a set of rare Marilyn Monroe material which will be featured in an upcoming auction, which includes previously unseen photographs, the negatives, and the copyright to the respective images. [Read more…]

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Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth UK Supreme Court Ruling: The Mainstream Media Interviews Andrew Ainsworth

Having followed the news reported by the mainstream media following Wednesday’s UK Supreme Court decision, there have been some interesting accounts coming from the Ainsworth camp yesterday and today, including a very simplistic characterization of how the helmet and armor made their way from two to three dimensions (completely leaving out the sculpture contributions by Ms. Liz Moore and Mr. Brian Muir).  It will be interesting to see how this saga will continue to play out following the ruling in England. [Read more…]

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UK Supreme Court Rules in Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth Star Wars “Stormtrooper Helmet” Copyright Legal Battle

Since 2007, the Original Prop Blog has been covering the legal battle between Lucasfilm Limited and Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios over the sale of unlicensed replica Star Wars props and costumes.  The UK Supreme Court is today published their ruling on the two issues presented to them.  Of the two, the most critical came down to whether the stormtrooper helmets themselves constituted “sculptures” in a way consistent with UK law.  The court ruled that they do not, and thus delivered a victory to Ainsworth, which also leaves those following the case wondering about the ramifications to copyrights and copyright law and the consequences of the decision.  The second question before them was decided in favor to Lucasfilm, which involves IP holders and their rights to pursue copyright claims in those cases where such laws are violated in other jurisdictions. [Read more…]

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EU Court of Justice Rules eBay May Be Held Liable in Sale of Trademark Infringing and Counterfeit Goods

As part of an ongoing series of legal disputes that have challenged the manner in which eBay operates its auction business and website, today the European Union Court of Justice provided clarification on questions pertaining to a case before the High Court in the United Kingdom over a dispute brought by L’Oréal against the global auction giant.  The Court of Justice ruled that eBay may be liable for the sale of counterfeit and trademark-infringing goods, based on the circumstances and what kind of “active role” it plays in the sale of the goods.   [Read more…]

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Bloomberg Report on Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth ‘Star Wars’ Stormtrooper Helmet Copyright Lawsuit; UK Supreme Court Decision Still Pending

Bloomberg today published a video report on the Lucasfilm Ltd. vs. Andrew Ainsworth dispute.  After Ainsworth prevailed in the UK Court of Appeals in late 2009, the case was argued before the UK Supreme Court in early March.  Mr. Ainsworth features prominently while giving a tour of his studio; Lucasfilm is represented by a two sentence written statement.  While the short broadcast captures an interesting mainstream media perspective of the case, it lacks a substantive review of the two specific legal issues under consideration in the pending UK Supreme Court decision, noting  that “the legal arguments are detailed and complex“. [Read more…]