Shepperton Design Studios

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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] Copyright dispute with Lucasfilm

Permission from Lucasfilm to produce replicas of the stormtrooper helmets was granted since then to various companies. However, in 2004 Shepperton Design Studios claimed to have discovered in their possession one of 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. Ainsworth did not defend the case in the US, and the United States District Court for the Central District of California gave summary judgment in favour of Lucasfilm, awarding a USD $20 million compensation.

To ensure the decision was enforced in England, Lucasfilm also took the case to the High Court of Justice. Ainsworth's legal team argued that the stormtrooper helmet was a piece of industrial design rather than a work of art, and as such was not under Lucasfilm's copyright. In addition, they claimed that Ainsworth was not under a formal contract with Lucasfilm when assigned to produce the helmets, and that copyright in the design was vested in him, stating that SDS would counterclaim for a percentage of merchandising profits.^[1]

The legal proceedings in the UK High Court began on April 8th, 2008, in a case initially expected to last around ten days. It eventually concluded some three weeks later, with Mr Justice Mann reserving judgment. No date has yet been announced for his final decision.