An angry George Lucas has filed a hefty $5 million trademark lawsuit against Jedi Mind for selling apps that allows users to play games simply by thinking.
The apps – which include Master Mind, Jedi Mouse and Think-Tac-Toe – all require the user to wear an “Emotiv Headset” sold by Epoc.
According to Reuters, LucasFilm sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company in May 2009, prompting the CEO to claim that he would “phase out” the Jedi Mind marks.
But LucasFilm was apparently forced to send a second letter after the corporation continued to sell products under the “Jedi Mind” name.
As expected, LucasFilm claims that it controls “all characteristics” associated with the Jedi knights “not memorialized” in a registered trademark.
This supposedly includes Jedi robes, lightsabers, the power to levitate objects, a telepathic oneness with other Jedi and the universe and the ability to shoot energy beams called ‘Force Lightning’ from the fingertips.
Uh-huh.
Just don’t tell anyone that Jedi robes bear a distinct resemblance to those worn by Franciscan monks and that levitating objects is hardly an original concept.
But shooting lightning from fingertips? Yeah, that is something you don’t see every day. Nevertheless, I’m not sure something like that can or should be trademarked.
Still, LucasFilms insists the alleged trademark infringements are causing “confusion” in the marketplace and harming its business and reputation.
Well, hey, how about filing a suit against Jar Jar Binks? He probably did more wayyyy more damage to the franchise than Jedi Mind.
