Legalities of lightsabers outside Star Wars

Hi everyone!

Never visited here before, so I hope I'm not posting incorrectly here. I have a curious question, if I may . . .

Lightsabers. How copyright are they?

Are they strictly Star Wars possession, or can anyone have them in their own works? I'm very sure I saw a book on a shop shelf, perhaps in the mid '90s, where a heroic figure was brandishing a blaster in one hand, what looked like a blazing lightsaber blade in another.

Say if someone used one, but called it a stunsaber, as it shocks you, not slices you. Good for crowd riot control. Is it the name, lightsaber, that is contestable, or its appearance or actual nature?

So I'm asking, what would the legalities be in using one in non-SW books?

Thanks.

 

personally i think that the word lightsabre is copyright but a 'lasersword' couldnt be, its as outrageous as LOTR owning rights to rings. But i got no proof, thats my opinion.

 

I think that the name 'lightsabre' (or more likely the American spelling 'lightsaber', or hell, maybe both') are copywright Lucasfilm. But the actual image isn't, so I guess someone could use a lightsabre and call it a 'laser sword' elsewhere.

Of course, Lucasfilm and their lawyers will probably take a close look at any examples that come to their attention.

 

Ask a copyright lawyer.
Or a bunch of star wars fans . . .
cause they would know

 

I suppose any simliar weapon that a creator actually called a 'lightsaber' outside of a SW story would get sued.

There are variations, an old game called Star Frontiers had 'Sonic Swords' available to players. And let's not forget Thundar's Sunsword.

 

And lets not forget Ape Escape for playstation. The guy in that had a laser sword.

 

There was an old Superfriends cartoon episode where Superman was transported to a planet an had amnesia. The planet was in a period similar to the Dark Ages but they had technology. The swords that the knights used were yellow laserswords.

 

So lightsaber-type objects have been used outside SW in cartoons and books. That's what I wanted to know. I tried postig this topic on the official SW community site . . . but the upper parties have yet to deign to answer.

So here's the interesting aspect.

For copyright purposes, is it the word lightsaber, it's physical energy blade, or nature that can't be used outside SW?

I doubt a "stunsaber" that looks just like a lightsaber but shock you, not slices apart, would be illegal. Or is it? What's your opinion?

 

I believe that only the word "lightsaber" is illegal outside the SW galaxy.
I guess that anyone can present a sword-like weapon with an energy blade
that looks (and acts) like a lightsaber as long as it's not called a lightsaber.

 

You could be right there. After all, who was the very first person to use a "laser gun" in their works, which is commonly known as "blasters" now, and just how long ago?

 

The correct spelling is lightsaber, even for you Brits! And I think thats the only copyrighted thing.

In the states you can find toys everywhere that ARE lightsabers but called something else, like "lasersaber", no prob. Its just that if you have a lightsaber (in a comic or something) it looks and acts like a lightsaber, but is called a "saber of light" everyone will make fun of you. They all know what it REALLY is, and will think of you as nothing but a copier.

BTW, check out amazing1.com, then click on Star Wars.

Theyve been selling "firesabres" for years. And they are certainly take-offs of lightsabers, even the hilts are of the same style.

 

Lightsabers, as an idea, cannot be copyrighted. You see similar "laser-swords" on a variety of other places, from "Gudgan Wing" (not Gungan!) to "Galaxy Rangers" and "Super friends". You can copyright a movie about a lightsaber, but not the lightsaber itself. You can do the same with a book, a picture, of course.

If lightsabers were functional, you could patent them. They might have registered it as a trademark, so you got somethink like "StarWars (tm) official Luke Skywalker (tm) Lightsaber (tm)". It's a different thing.

But you can make a similar toy and sell it as a "light-scimitar", "beam-ferret" or "laser-rapier".

As for the use of the expression "Lightsaber", it's possible. People on occasion mention Star Wars things on movies and articles, and not all of them pay anything to LucasArts. It is something allowed to some degree.

 

Good to know, yes. How about deflector shields?

It's come to mind that Star Trek also uses the term "deflector shield", at least from what sites I have perused. They also have other similar SW terms like turbolift, and even tractor beam, I think.

Come to think of it, is "turbolaser" itself as a word also SW copyrighted?

 

Good to know, yes. How about deflector shields?

Energy/Deflector shields is used on a lot of sci-fi stuff.

Come to think of it, is "turbolaser" itself as a word also SW copyrighted?

As far as I know, a single word is not something you can copyright easly. You can trademark it, but that will only prevent other people from selling products named "turbolasers".

The nature of Copyright is to protect intelectual works, like movies, music, art, books. It is not to protect ideas, ideas cannot be copyrighted.

 

Quite true, Delance. It could explain why the Enterprise has turbolifts.

 

I heard there was even a court case by SW against Battlestar Galactica, wasn't there? That BG had too many similarities to SW. Does anyone remember what that was about?

 

The main character used a lightsaber-like weapon in a game I like. The sword was called ''Soul Reaver''.

 

Was that in a BG book or movie, do you know?

 

Remember Thundar the Barbarian? His Sunsword was very lightsaberish. Wonder if Lucas had any issues with that cartoon?

 

Great to see another Soul Reaver fan but I don't think it resembles a lightsabre. It's more like a lance that shoots out of its tip.

Ape Escape on the other hand clearly features a light sabre. In the game however it only stuns what it hits.

The Simpsons and Futurama have featured lightsabres on many occasions but maybe that's alright since they're done by Fox.

 

Turbolifts are in Star Trek, but not in Star Wars anywhere.

But dont forget "cloaking-device!"

 

This stuff cannot be copyrighted. You could patent it if it works, or register the trademark. Unless they use the same art as you, you've got nothing.

As for the BattleStar Galatic thing, if someone decided to sue now, the judge would ask why the #*)$(# did they wait so much, in this very words.

 

Lightsabre, lightsabre, lightsabre!

 

I've noticed deflector shields as a term is also quite popular outside Star Wars.

I think I recall it mentioned in one of the recent Star Trek films. The question is: even though individual words can't be copyrighted, there are certain words or terms that are very SW and always point back to them in a reader's mind.

 

I believe Lucas sued a Medical place or somthing because they named a new tool a 'lightsabre'.

(I am from the US)

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