Lucasfilm demands firm halt sales of lightsaber-ish lasers

The $200 Spyder III Pro Arctic is the world's most powerful portable laser. It's so powerful, in fact, that it can cause blindness, damage skin, even set things on fire. It can also damage a trademark, as a cease-and-desist order from Lucasfilm attests.

Lucasfilm has sent a C-and-D letter to Wicked Lasers, creator the of Spyder III Pro Arctic. While Wicked Lasers has never referred to the device as a "lightsaber," it's pretty obvious from the promotional images on their site that it looks a heck of a lot like the Star Wars Jedi Knight weapon of choice.

CNN has some of the text from the LucasFilm letter to Wicked Lasers. In it, the company notes that blogs and other media have referred to the device as a "real-life lightsaber," so despite what Wicked Lasers may say, the perception is still there:

"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 [...]

"These references (by media) 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."

Wicked Lasers' response:

"Most people feel it's kind of ridiculous ... We would never use any comparison like that to 'Star Wars' or a lightsaber or anything like that.

Lucasfilm shouldn't be saying something like that. 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."

Orders of the device increased after all the initial media coverage, so Wicked Lasers added safety features, such as a safety lock to prevent accidentally turning on the laser, and an extra lens which reduces its power by 80 percent until it is removed. Also, every laser is shipped with safety goggles. The letter was actually sent a couple of weeks ago, but the company has not stopped shipping the devices.

Even a standard laser pointer is not a toy. For example, although some feel it's fun to point them at passing aircraft and cars, its clear from this FAQ that it's definitely not fun for those affected.