Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

George Lucas Loses Stormtrooper copyright fight

News
By Matt Chapman
Published 28 July 2011

The beard loses his clone war in the UK

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

The man who made the original Stormtrooper helmets for Star Wars has won a legal battle to sell replicas in the UK.

Andrew Ainsworth argued that the costumes were not subject to full copyright laws because they were functional items rather than artistic works.

The ruling by judges at the UK Supreme Court upheld a 2009 Court of Appeal decision which allowed the 62-year-old to continue selling them.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+
Watch full video here:

"This is a massive victory, a total victory, we've already got the champagne out," Ainsworth told the BBC.

The prop designer from south London, who sells the outfits for around £1,800 each, said he went to court on principle as he didn't want to allow director George Lucas to "buy his soul".

You may like
  • Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford in Star Wars: A New Hope George Lucas says deciding to retire was a "big deal" because he still had "3 more Star Wars [movies] to make"
  • Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Harrison Ford as Han Solo George Lucas says he "redid" his Star Wars movies because they weren't finished
  • George Lucas Star Wars Star Wars creator George Lucas says film studios nowadays care more about "what the fans think" than filmmakers

However, the court also ruled that Lucasfilm's copyright had been violated in the US, where Ainsworth has already stopped selling the outfits.

Lucasfilm said it remains committed to aggressively protecting its intellectual property rights, adding that the court's decision maintained "an anomaly of British copyright law under which the creative and highly artistic works made for use in films may not be entitled to copyright protection in the UK".

Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Matt Chapman
Read more
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford in Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars Movies George Lucas says deciding to retire was a "big deal" because he still had "3 more Star Wars [movies] to make"
 
 
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Star Wars Movies George Lucas says he "redid" his Star Wars movies because they weren't finished
 
 
George Lucas Star Wars
Star Wars Movies Star Wars creator George Lucas says film studios nowadays care more about "what the fans think" than filmmakers
 
 
Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Movies Star Wars creator George Lucas compares AI to the invention of cars: "Nothing you can do about it"
 
 
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Movies Star Wars fan artist recreates Anakin and Obi-Wan's famous Revenge of the Sith duel with an incredible twist
 
 
KOTOR PS5 remake
RPGs KOTOR devs were so committed to bad language that they spent a day watching the films to prove Lucasfilm wrong
 
 
Latest in Movies
Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born
Action Movies Bradley Cooper to play Duke in Danny McBride's live-action G.I. Joe movie
 
 
Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Marvel Movies Sean Gunn may have retired as Rocket Racoon, but he'd still take the call to return as his other MCU character
 
 
Huntrix performing in KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix
Animated Movies KPop Demon Hunters 2 will be coming to cinemas in a "very broad" and "global" theatrical release
 
 
Alan Ritchson as Reacher in Reacher season 4
Action Movies Helldivers movie delayed to 2028, but maybe that's a good thing
 
 
Loki season 2 episode 5
Marvel Movies A closer look at the Avengers: Endgame Encore TVA set reveals some intriguing MCU details
 
 
Kevin Feige
Marvel Movies After 20 years and 38 films, Marvel boss Kevin Feige says he still has "a lot of movies" to make in the MCU
 
 
Latest in News
Flanked by party members, Cloud takes a knee in front of yellow flowers in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Revelation lead tried hard not to turn the series into his "personal fan project"
 
 
Iconic Diablo boss bares teeth
Diablo One of Diablo 2's most coveted items surprise-drops in Diablo 4, and it's just as OP as 25 years ago
 
 
Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born
Action Movies Bradley Cooper to play Duke in Danny McBride's live-action G.I. Joe movie
 
 
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout RPG legend behind Fallout: New Vegas does "everything" he can to stop save scumming
 
 
Wolverine poses with his claws out in Marvel's Wolverine in his yellow battle suit
Games "AI upscaling is coming to PS5": Sony's base console is getting its own version of a PS5 Pro feature
 
 
A close-up of the poster for the upcoming game, Physint.
Games Xbox CEO says working with PlayStation is on the table even after Kojima's Physint swaps publishers
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. "We haven't altered the core of the story based on reactions at any given time"
    1
    Final Fantasy 7 Revelation lead tried hard not to turn the series into his "personal fan project"
  2. 2
    One of Diablo 2's most coveted items surprise-drops in Diablo 4, and it's just as OP as 25 years ago
  3. 3
    Bradley Cooper to play Duke in Danny McBride's live-action G.I. Joe movie
  4. 4
    RPG legend behind Fallout: New Vegas does "everything" he can to stop save scumming
  5. 5
    "AI upscaling is coming to PS5": Sony's base console is getting its own version of a PS5 Pro feature

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...