*** Official STAR WARS Saga (episodes I to VI) Discussion Thread: Part 4 - Page 94

What has brought about the return of Darth Maul to product packaging?

 

Concannon: "The opportunity to revisit Episode I brought a ton of excitement to this year's packaging design for the team at Pilot. Because Darth Maul carried the packaging line look for the original release of Episode I, there was the urge to have another character represent the line look. Many alternative concepts were put on the table for this reason. At the end of the day, the epic duel between Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi clearly marks the amazing climactic moment of the film. Although Darth Sidious is the clear mastermind behind the dark forces, it is Darth Maul who is the face.

"In addition, the interior design of the Theed power generator made for superior packaging architecture. The light beams that blast up from the reactor core are powerfully represented within the packaging style guide. When you combine the iconic features of Darth Maul and the interior designs of the 'generator' you have the ingredients for a bold packaging line look that properly reflect the visual DNA of Episode I."

A British prop designer has won his battle with Star Wars creator George Lucas over the right to sell replica stormtrooper outfits following a supreme court ruling.


Twickenham-based Andrew Ainsworth, 62, built the original costumes used in Star Wars and has been selling the outfits, based on his moulds for the 1977 blockbuster, online for a number of years. He successfully argued the costumes were functional works rather than artistic ones, and therefore not subject to full UK copyright laws.

Lucas had taken the case before a succession of judges in an effort to halt Ainsworth's work. He has now been forced to admit defeat – in the UK at least – following the ruling by the UK's highest court for civil cases, which upheld a decision taken at the court of appeal in 2009.

"This is a massive victory, a total victory, we've already got the champagne out," Ainsworth told the BBC, adding that he had gone to court on a principle and was not going to allow the director to "buy his soul".

He told the Daily Telegraph: "I am proud to report that in the English legal system David can prevail against Goliath if his cause is right. If there is a force, then it has been with me these past five years."

However, the supreme court also ruled that Lucas's copyright had been violated in the US, meaning Ainsworth will no longer be able to sell his costumes there. The film-maker successfully sued Ainsworth for $20m in the US when he began selling replicas of the models in 2004, but a succession of UK courts overturned that ruling, culminating in today's decision.

Ainsworth's suits cost up to £1,500 and are highly sought after by Star Wars devotees, who wear them to fan conventions, as well as collectors.