Lucasfilm lightsaber legal threat letter sells for $3,850

The cease-and-desist letter that Lucasfilm sent to the company that made a laser-pointer alleged to infringe the Lucas trademark on lightsabers sold recently on eBay for a whopping $3,850. The winning bidder has moderate eBay history (12 transactions), which suggests that this isn't (merely) a publicity stunt.

LUCASFILM CEASE AND DESIST LETTER REAL LIFE LIGHTSABER

(Note: This story was submitted by a PR company apparently retained by the seller of this document)

• [tebee]

  A few thoughts,

  Firstly, I can see a whole new industry springing up in collectable cease and desists,

  Secondly, I wonder if it cost Lucasfilm more than $3,850 in legal cost to send the letter,

  And finally, I’m guessing Wicked Lasers aren’t expecting this to end up in court, otherwise disposing of a legal document from the case is probably not a good idea…..

• [phisrow]

  I wonder if that cool buzzing swish lightsaber sound filles the law offices of the Lucasfilm empire when they are doing their legal saber-rattling?

• [wormbaby]

  At least the Lucasfilm lawyers call them lightsabers. Fat George can never remember what his editors called them in the final script and constantly refers to them as lazer swords. I heard they had to call them lightsabers because lazer sword was all ready in common usage in sci-fi. Now when is Toho going to sue him for stealing Star Wars in the first place.

• [Anonymous]

  http://gizmodo.com/5576742/lucasfilm-thinks-the-spyder-iii-arctic-laser-is-a-little-too-much-like-a-real-lightsaber

  is the laser in question. I’m pretty sure Lucas has a case in this one.

• [loonquawl]

  So Wicked Lasers is doing a high powered, sleek line of dangerous lasers (Polaris), that totally look like, but are not in any way related to, lightsabres, lightsabers, ligthsabres, lightswords, lasersabres, laserswords, or any other laser-related item from the insanely popular and well known Star Wars Trilogy (Yoda, Luke skywalker, Obi Wan, Jabba)? Wow. That would be a perfect gift. I will have to google lightsaber, to get to know who sells some.

  Jeez.

• [CitrusFreak12]

  (Note: This story was submitted by a PR company apparently retained by the seller of this document)

  And this is why I will always prefer MetaFilter.

• [phlo]

  Note WickedLasers will match the winning bid with store credit, redeemable for laser merchandise. Whomever spent those four grand on the letter isn’t actually spending them on the letter per se, but on a huge bunch of dangerous and overpowered shiny toys with the free gift of an even shinier legal letter from the desk of David Anderman himself.