My Domain

Times Online: Lucas loses Copyright Appeal...

"[T]he Court of Appeal agreed that even though Mr Ainsworth did not own the design, he had not broken any British law because his creations were not art."

According to the story, Lucas sued in California, got a default judgment against Ainsworth for $20 million, and tried, unsuccessfully, to enforce it in Britain. The British Court of Appeal said that the helmets weren't sculpture or art (which would have been protectable under copyright,) they were industrial designs, which are only protectable for 15 years.

I think Lucasfilm is right that this could create a new precedent in England for propmakers and costumers to make and sell props that have fallen into the public domain. "Dr. Who" is a perfect example because it's been on the air for decades. It'll be interesting to see if the British Supreme Court reverses the COA in order to protect British film- and prop-makers. I wonder if it's relevant that Ainsworth was commissioned to make the original helmets for the film---or if he realizes that there are a other guys with molds who can capitalize off of this decision. Ainsworth might not have as much of a niche market as he thinks, and since he's successfully fought to have these helmets be in the public domain, he can't really argue that he should be able to copyright them.

I have to say, though, that anyone saying that the helmet and armor have a "'utilitarian' rather than artistic purpose"---as the Justices did here---has obviously never worn either of them. ;)

I turned in my last exam this morning and am officially on holiday break. Overall, my exams went okay—none of them really made me want to cry that much, and I’m pretty sure that I passed everything. And that’s what matters, so hurrah.

My break is going to be fun and busy. I’m going back to Nashville on Tuesday, having Christmas with my Nashville buds on Friday (Secret Santa ftw), going to Kingston for Christmas w/the family, and seeing Lady Gaga in Atlanta on the 28th. I still have some Christmas shopping to do, but not that much. I might get to do some shopping in Nashville, which will be fun. And scary. (Green Hills kind of freaks me out because it’s so busy. And pretentious. But that doesn’t freak me out as much as it irritates me.)

I got my hair cut today—I hadn’t had it cut since after Dragon*Con, when I got it cut short again. I promised myself a funky hair color for an “exams are over” present, and today I followed through. I have PURPLE streaks in my hair, y’all. It’s awesome. I actually think I want to stick with it for a while, and maybe add some more color. It’s subtle, and under the top layer of my hair (so when it grows out, the roots won’t look bad) and on part of my bangs. Here’s a picture; ignore my silly face:



I LOVE it. I’m so excited about showing my family and friends in person, because the pictures didn’t really turn out that well--right now, it's a bit brighter than that.

But yeah, I’m halfway done with law school AND I have purple hair. It’s pretty much a win-win.

Thanks for the snowflake cookie, faeriesfolly! It was nice to know someone was thinking of me during my exam time.

And thanks to everyone else who has wished me luck and sent me messages of encouragement over the past few weeks. They really helped me remember what's important in the long term and got me through exams without killing someone or feeling *too* stupid. I really appreciate it. :)