George Lucas Says Your Actual Laser Looks Too Much Like Lightsaber

So apparently a lightsaber isn’t a laser, it’s a “blade of pure plasma energy emitted from the hilt and suspended in a force containment field,” but whatever, George Lucas says Wicked Lasers, based in Hong Kong, is violating LucasFilm’s trademark by selling lasers that look like lightsabers.

“It is apparent from the design of the Pro Arctic Laser that it was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsaber swords, which are protected by copyright … ,” said a legal letter addressed to the company, according to CNN.

The owner of the company says that LucasFilm shouldn’t be comparing his lasers to their toys.

“Lucasfilm shouldn’t be saying something like that,” he said. “They’re a big company that needs to protect their trademarks. Maybe they’re having to look like they’re protecting their trademark in case they need to [protect it again] later.”

LucasFilm isn’t accusing Wicked Lasers of making the comparison, but cites a Gizmodo article that calls the device “a real life lightsaber.”

“These references make it clear that the public is being led to believe that the Pro Arctic Laser is an official lightsaber device and/or copied from our design,” the Lucasfilm letter said.

The owner says that after orders increased due to the publicity, the company started shipping the device, (which really isn’t a toy) with additional safety features and a pair of goggles.

‘Star Wars’ creator says laser too much like lightsaber [CNN] (Thanks, Todd!)
[Wicked Lasers]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.