| "Bootlegal" Lightsaber | |
| This is a rare glimpse at the other side of Star Wars bootlegs. It is a poster tube mailed via priority mail from Kenner's legal department to the Lucasfilm legal department in October 1982.
A closeup of the Kenner label reveals that the package is addressed to Howard Roffman, then Associate General Counsel for Lucasfilm, Ltd. sent from Kenner's Vine St. address in Cincinnati.
Inside is a letter addressed to Howard Roffman, Esq. from James Kipling, who was then head of the legal department at Kenner.
The contents of the letter reveal that Kenner discovered a bootleg lightsaber sold in the US called The Light Beam made by a company called L.A. Hotline in Los Angeles and the package to Lucasfilm included a sample of this lightsaber toy so that Lucasfilm could take possible legal action. During the early years of Star Wars there were several unlicensed toys, particularly knock off lightsabers. This package from 1982 gives a behind the scenes look at how unlicensed items are discovered and dealt with. |
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| Description by: | Gus Lopez |
| Photo: | Gus Lopez |
| From the collection of: | Gus Lopez |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1982 |
| Category: | Toys / Employee Items |
