Photographing Star Wars Characters - Is the Copyright Force With Me?

[Steve Valentia]

I've been asked to cover a week-long May The 4th Festival in the small Irish village famous for having Skellig Michael (of Star Wars fame) within sight, and a short boat ride away. I thought they might be useful images for the Live News feed, and I uploaded a small number yesterday. As the week progresses, more characters will be around and more interesting images are likely.

However, it has been suggested that Disney come down hard on anyone photographing their copyrighted property (the costume design in this case). So, I wondered if there is any point, or would photographing them for editorial use only avoid the Empire striking back?

[meanderingemu]

you can never be sure what big mega dollar corp will go after, that said there is 54 pages of results for "Star Wars costume", so it doesn't look like they have actively gone after Alamy to remove any.  

 

obviously editorial only, and because you are already covering it (ie no additional cost for you to do it)

[spacecadet]

If it helps, in the UK the designer of the stormtrooper helmet won a famous case which decided that copyright did not apply because it was a functional item and not a work of artistic craftsmanship. As such it was only protected by design right, which expires after 25 years.

 

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/star-wars-helmets-did-not-infringe-copyright-because-they-are-not-art-supreme-court-rules

 

 

MEMBERPE

RK22

[Steve Valentia]

Thanks @meanderingemu and @spacecadet. I was about to say NO-bi-Wan Kenobi, as it seems like a pointless exercise, but all things considered, it might worth a return of the Jedi.