“Court Favors Ideal Toy Corp.” in 1977
Naushua, New Hampshire’s The Telegraph comes at us from December 28, 1977 with this short snippet of news showing that Ideal’s Star Team action figures (see Toys You Had) were not infringing on the Star Wars rights. It’s a very brief news piece, but it was a huge win for Ideal since it allowed them to continue selling their action figures in stores . . . before Kenner’s official Star Wars toys were even on the market.
Someone may not have notified Toys You Had of the 1977 ruling; the website says of the Knight of Darkness, one of the toys mentioned in the suit:
“He was obviously a Darth Vader knock off and was released within weeks of the Star Wars film release.”
Related articles
- “The Mystery Behind Darth Vader’s Proesthetic Armour” (battlegrip.com)
- 1979 Kenner Star Wars Collection Commercial Featuring Cash Refund Booklet (battlegrip.com)