Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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Lucasfilm vs. Ainsworth High Court Ruling: Let The Spin Begin

News reports are flooding in with regard to the Lucasfilm legal dispute over the trademark and copyright of the Stormtrooper helmet and other helmets and armor produced for Star Wars: A New Hope. This legal battle, transplanted from the United States to the UK, is between George Lucas and his Lucasfilm production company and Andrew Ainsworth and his Shepperton Design Studios. The High Court judge handed down his ruling today, and the outcome, or “victory”, is dependent upon who you ask or what news story you might be reading.  One headline reads “Lucas Wins Stormtrooper Case” while another proclaims “Judge’s force is with stormtroooper helmet designer“, which would lead one to believe The Guardian probably has it correct: “George Lucas reaches stalemate in legal battle over Star Wars stormtroopers“. [Read more…]

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Tiffany & Co. Loses Lawsuit Against eBay

As touched on in a related report two weeks ago (see French Court Orders eBay to Pay $61 Million for Sale of Counterfeit Goods), TIffany & Co. initiated a lawsuit against eBay with regard to the high number of counterfeit Tiffany goods being sold on the auction website.  The U.S. District Court judge in New York  ruled yesterday that eBay Inc. fulfilled its legal obligation and took adequate precautions to block the sale of counterfeit jewelry on its site.  This marks a significant victory for eBay in battling luxury companies suing the auction giant for not effectively policing its e-commerce website for fraud. [Read more…]

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French Court Orders eBay to Pay $61 Million for Sale of Counterfeit Goods

A French court today ordered auction giant eBay to pay 38.6 million euros (about $61 million dollars) in damages to the French luxury goods company LVMH, maker of Louis Vuitton bags and Dior perfumes.  This judgment was a huge setback for eBay in one of several legal battles over the sale of counterfeit goods through their auction service. [Read more…]

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Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Second Amendment Rights

As reported back in March (see U.S. Supreme Court Examines Constitution’s Second Amendment, Right to Bear Arms), there has been much anticipation since last year over the U.S. Supreme Court’s examination of the Second Amendment to the Constitution – the “right to bear arms”. The case stems from a challenge to the constitutionality of the handgun ban in Washington D.C. [Read more…]

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Star Wars “Prototype” Stormtrooper Helmets

Over the past several years, one issue that has been discussed among hobbyists from time to time relates to questions about Stormtrooper helmets characterized as “prototypes” and attributed to the production of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. A number of hobbyists do not believe these helmets are indeed prototypes (precursors to the helmets made for and used in A New Hope) but made following that production, which would classify them as non-Original or replicas. [Read more…]

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“Classic” Film & Television Prop and Wardrobe eBay Sellers

There are several companies on eBay that sell notable quantities of props and memorabilia attributed to use in classic and vintage film and television productions, as well as items characterized as personal property of Hollywood stars and notable famous figures from history. The purpose of this article is to identify these companies and include information about their public offerings. [Read more…]

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Lucasfilm vs. Ainsworth Trial Watch: CNN Business Blog

There has been relatively sparse reporting since last week on the legal dispute over the trademark and copyright of the Stormtrooper helmet and other helmets and armor produced for Star Wars: A New Hope. This legal battle, transplanted now from the United States to the UK, is between George Lucas and his Lucasfilm production company and Andrew Ainsworth and his Shepperton Design Studios. I thought I would monitor the news and post short updates as I come across them. [Read more…]

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Lucasfilm vs. Ainsworth Stormtrooper Helmet Legal Battle Explodes in Mainstream Media

Similar to the news story with the collector filing suit against Christie’s and CBS Paramount late last year (see “Star Trek Collector Sues Christies, CBS & Paramount Studios for $7 Million Dollars“), the story of the legal battle between George Lucas and his Lucasfilm production company and Andrew Ainsworth and his Shepperton Design Studios seems to have captured the interest of the mainstream media, only in this case, the story is much more international. This legal dispute is over the trademark and copyright of the Stormtrooper helmet and other helmets and armor produced for Star Wars: A New Hope. This story has broken very wide, in the last day especially, with well over 150 related stories showing up in Google searches yesterday into today. [Read more…]