Sci-Fi Storm

A British judge ruled that Lucasfilm owns the likeness of Stormtroopers in the U.S., but at the same time says that, at least in Britain, the copyright on the outfits have expired. Lucas sued Andrew Ainsworth, who created the design of the troopers, when Ainsworth asserted ownership of the design and started selling replicas, including in the U.S. Lucas won a $20 million judgment in a California court, but the British judge also ruled that the actual U.S. sales, which only totaled $50k-60k, were not serious enough to justify U.S. jurisdiction or enforcement of the judgment. Ainsworth is free to sell his replicas anywhere but the U.S.

The Tales of Beedle the bard, originally a hand-written manuscript from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling of which only 6 existed and were auctioned off (Amazon bought one for approx. $4 million), will now be published as a book, released on December 4th, with the proceeds going towards her charity. It consists of five “fairy tales”, which contain lessons for children and adults alike.

Pre-orders are already available from Amazon in two versions – a standard edition, which has the 5 fairy tales, a new introduction from Rowling, reproduced illustrations from the original manuscript, and commentary on the tales by Albus Dumbledore; and an exclusive Collector’s Edition, which adds a new binder with metal clasp, corners and a skull; a case that looks like a book from the library at Hogwarts; a reproduction of the original introduction; 10 additional illustrations not in the original or standard edition; a velvet bag embroidered with J.K.’s signature; some “gemstones”, and an emerald ribbon.