Mumbai: The English High Court may be a long way from East Alton, Ill., but the SimmonsCooper law firm continues to make its mark in the legal industry, most recently winning a high-profile intellectual property suit with its London affiliate, SimmonsCooperAndrew LLP, against George Lucas and Lucasfilm of Star Wars fame.
In the English High Court case of Lucasfilm v Ainsworth, SimmonsCooperAndrew represented the prop designer who made the Stormtrooper helmets and armour for the 1977 Star Wars film. Lucasfilm was attempting to prevent Ainsworth from selling replicas of the helmets, but the High Court recently dismissed the majority of Lucas’ claims.
"Our firm has a storied history of taking on corporate giants," said SimmonsCooper’s U.S. practice head of intellectual property Paul Lesko. "Because of this ruling, Ainsworth will be able to rightfully sell his product throughout most of the world. It is not only a victory for him. It’s a victory for prop designers throughout the film industry."
"We took on the infamous Death Star and lived to tell about it," said SimmonsCooper’s president of International Litigation Chris Messina. "The goal of our business and intellectual property practices always has been to give entrepreneurs and small businesses a voice to protect their legal rights. To see that success play out on the international stage like this is truly gratifying."
