Shepperton Design Studios
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shepperton Design Studios is a manufacturer of Star Wars props and memorabilia, based in England. Established in 1974 by Andrew Ainsworth, the company was asked in January 1976 to produce first the helmets, then the body armours for the Imperial stormtroopers in the classic Star Wars films.
[edit] 2006 controversy with Lucasfilm
Permission to produce replicas of the stormtrooper helmets was granted since then to various companies. However, in 2003 Shepperton Design Studios claimed to have discovered in their possession the moulds used to create the original helmets, and began production of new replicas from them. In 2006, Lucasfilm sued Shepperton Design Studios for infringing copyright and making false claims regarding the original status of the moulds they used. The United States District Court for the Central District of California deliberated in favour of Lucasfilm, awarding a USD 20 million compensation. Lucasfilm stated their intention to pursue the matter in England as well, to ensure the judgement is enforced there as well.
[edit] Source
- http://www.sdsprops.com/ - Shepperton Design Studios official website
- http://www.lucasfilm.com/press/news/news20061011.html - Lucasfilm press release about lawsuit
[edit] External links
- http://rpf.exoray.com/LFL_vs_SDS/ - Alleged text of the California civil docket in the Lucasfilm vs SDS case
