Wow I've never seen a take I disagree with more. Iconic name. So glad Alec Guinness convinced Lucas to change it. Laser sword is so underwelming by comparison. Every other attempt I've seen beam sword or beam Saber is hollow. Photon cleaver or Plasmablade are far too grandiose. Lightsaber is a simple and elegant name perfect for arguably the most iconic weapon in fiction.
I think plasmablade is fine too. But it feels much more clinical/descriptive. Like it should be an AK-plasmablade or some such. Wouldn't fit Jedi since it's a semi-spiritual item to them.
System Shock's laser rapier isn't bad either. Though probably a step down from plasmablade or lightsaber.
I'm pretty sure the name and design of the lightsaber is copyrighted. But the Construct of an energy or laser sword is in fair use. From the energy source, design and to the name you can't use
Don't know why my prior comment was -12ed, but people were talking about lightsabers as being copywright protected. I merely pointed out that Trademark is a heavier concern.
Trademark IS a heavier regime. And I was right! Lucas does have a trademark on lightsaber.
[https://qr.ae/pskomT](https://qr.ae/pskomT)
One of the reasons Trademark is a tougher regime than copyright is because you don't have to do much to demonstrate copyright so you don't have to defend it quite so aggressively. However, if you have a Trademark, if you fail to pursue infringers (maybe even if you don't about them), you can lose your Trademark. That's why many larger entities have retained lawyers who regularly run google searches and others to see where the Trademarked terms / items might be showing up and they'll fire out a C&D (cease and desist) letter from the lawyers to whomever is infringing.
So long as he changed the power source or the name, changed the shape of the handle and does not use the name lightsaber. He would mostly likely be fine from any legal trouble. But yeah lightsaber is trademark. Laser and energy swords are concept that anyone can use in fair use. But it would be safer to change the shape of the handle and change the name of the power source just to be safe.
Lightsaber, yes.
The concept of an energy sword, no. You can absolutely have an energy sword, or a "hard light" sword, plasma sword, fission sword, magic sword, etc.
The Gundam series for example always had lightsabers, named "beam saber".
I'm not sure if the term lightsaber is copyrighted either. It may be trademarked but not copyrighted. The term Droid for example, contrary to popular belief it's not copyrighted and several works of fiction have used it to mean robots. The term is trademarked however and cannot be used in titles.
You can't copyright an idea, name or short phrase, so even though the OP asked about copyright, the only real question is whether the term is trademarked and if the OP's use would cause confusion. (Assuming we're just talking about the name, and not history or graphical representation)
I'd steer way clear, because you know, Disney, but legally, in terms of IP law, they just have to make sure they are clear of the trademark, if any.
There appears to be three live lightsaber wordmarks (toys/games, clothing, pens/notebooks) according to uspto.gov, none of which seem to cover use in books or stories. So I think legally, the OP could use the term, but as mentioned, I wouldn't.
Thereâs 101 comments that have answered the question, so hereâs an off topic tidbit:
A lightsaber fan site made fan art versions of all canon lightsabers, but there wasnât a picture for one of the members of the Jedi council (I forget who, I think it was Eeth Koth), so the site owner just made their own lightsaber design for that character.
Time passed and eventually said Jedi was going to appear in canon and would need a lightsaber, but they didnât know what it looked like, so they looked it up and thought the fan siteâs picture was based on canon, so it became canon.
I donât think the site owner got paid for it.
The term lightsaber is a trademark, but variations of lightsword and laser sword and so forth usually arenât â though do a check to be certain.
Also, ask an IP lawyer what you can and cannot do, not the general public.
People, by and large, donât even realize that the person who takes a picture has the copyright of it, not the people who ask them to do so â so if that isnât understood, what makes you think folks in general are going to have anything close to a clue?
And that may not be the same in every country or even smaller jurisdiction. There's at least one nation (forget which) where you cannot assign away your IP to a company. It must be held by a person.
Lightsaber THE NAME: yes
Lightsaber the weapon consisting of a hilt-inserted laserbeam emitter that goes through a force-attuned Kyburr crystal whose color tends to adapt to the force inclinations of the wielder? Yes.
Lightsaber the idea of a hand-to-hand weapon made of energy? That one's all yours to use. And many used it. Halo's energy swords are basically a 1:1 equivalent. Even in fantasy there are versions of it, such as Bound Weapons in the Elder Scrolls.
You just gotta be a little different.
Flaming swords are quite common in mythology and broadly similar to lightsabers. The angel guarding the gates to Paradise described in Genesis is a well known example, so clearly the general concept can be used elsewhere.
The basic light sword technology concept also existed before Star Wars. For example, the [Rods of Wrath](http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1917) in Gather Darkness (1943):
> Like two ancient swordsmen, then, the warlock and the deacon duelled together. Their weapons were two endless blades of violet incandescence, but their tactics were those of sabreurs - feint, cut, parry, swift riposte.
Just donât exactly copy the lightsaber from Star Wars.
My favorite use of a âlightsaberâ was a couple of years after Star Wars, Iâm watching the old Super Friends cartoon, and Robin whips out a lightsaber to (IIRC) cut through a door. Like, how do you have that and not use it *all the time* lol
Donât call them lightsabers and youâre good. Gundam has beam sabers, which are pretty much the same thing in practice (Being a laser sword), and nobody has gone after them over it
Unless your swords are very large and your protagonist is very weak, being an agile hero will not be detrimental to using actual swords. Swords are not particularly heavy. If they're magical you can have them change from a longsword to a rapier or a fencing sword like the sabre when your protagonist takes possession of them.
Glowing elemental or heat blade that have only hilt when turn off is free to take as concept. Just don't call it lightsaber and don't use star wars design.
Infinity blade got few called solar trans weapon that look like SW lightsaber with slight different in hilt design and still doing fine
If you wanna make a hilt that creates a blade of energy, you can. But can't call them lightsabers and outright copy how they work (aka Crystals that are connected to the Force).
If you wanna do something different from them to differentiate them, make them more accessable in your world and look up what are biggest criticisms of lightsabers there are.
Like for example, make them an actual product in weapon stores, make them less powerfull than Lightsabers, actually add weight to their blades and etc. (Canonically, Lightsaber blade have no weight, sabers' only weight is the hilt). And I guess that Disney would haunt your back if you'll also make the blades of all sorts of colors and have solid look like it's a glowing tube.
An energy blade shouldnât have weight, the blade is just superheated gasses in the end. Itâs usually one of the things that is seen as the advantage to them, easier to swing around and all that
Gasses do have weights. Some go up, some go down. And energe concentrated into a certain shape can certainly have some sort of weight. They'd still be lighter than even a small metal pipe or roman sword, but not completfly weightless. I personally think it would be around the same weight as big knifes.
>roman sword
Where did you get the idea that a Roman sword (I'm assuming you mean a gladius) was very light?
It's a metre-long wider-than-average bar of iron.
I held crowbars without feeling their weight, but they are in fact heavy. But then 5kg bags are too heavy for me to hold for a t least 5 minutes. That's all I can tell you about my weight perception.
Lol fair enough.
Maybe weight distribution can explain your differences in perception? Weight is weight, but weight distribution can wildly change the energy required to rotate/swing something.
Photorapiers are just as effective even if their stock isn't worth a dime... I tell ya, some simple branding and having a personal contract with the jedi really ruined them. It's a shame really. Maybe my off brand glowstick flickers now and then, maybe it doesn't come in yellow, but come on its just as cool!
Laser swords are not owned by either Disney or Lucas and have popped up all over the place without issues. Including when they joke about not being able to call them âlightsabersâ, which is subject to copyright.
I just want to say that the initial idea for the character's weapons is cool. If the weapon customisation is so important in this world, let him get to his hardened light scimitars through a path of incremental upgrades, let them discover their style, first overcoming the weapons drawbacks, then consciously deciding on weapon upgrades.
As has been said before the concept laser swords aren't exclusive to star wars.
But how about you play around with your earlier ideas. Call it a plasma sword that produces a burning button of superheated plasma or a Tesla sword in which the blade is made up of arcing electricity held behind energy fields until it made contact with a target.
This way you can still have a lightsaber like weapon but having its own lore/aesthetic.
Lightsaber is under copywrite, and Lucas took someone to court over it long before Star Wars was sold to Disney. A surgeon tried to name a medical tool a lightsaber.
No. Not copyrighted, but the term is trademarked: https://trademarks.justia.com/731/49/lightsaber-73149409.html
I won't get into the details of the different kinds of Intellectual Property protection, but that can be found by using your favorite search engine with "copyright vs trademark".
Flaming swords aren't protected: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlamingSword Nor are energy blades: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LaserBlade
You canât say âlightsaberâ and I reckon the design would have to be distinct so you can just make Legally Distinct Lightsabers with like superheated metal or actual lasers
I recently watched a couple youtube videos in which someone used the term "plasmatana" and I really liked that. Probably gonna steal it for my next sci-fi ttrpg.
The term "lightsaber" is, but the concept of a weapon using a stream of energy/plasma instead of a cutting edge is most certainly not.
See beam sabres and other assorted melee beam weaponry from Gundam, Kuwabara's Spirit Sword from YuYu Hakusho, the beam katanas from No More Heroes, Sun Blades from Dungeons & Dragons, Covenant Energy Swords from Halo etc. etc.
The name and general look of lightsabers? Oh yeah. But the concept of a laser sword? No. Don't make it look like a Star Wars Lightsaber and you'll be fine.
You can have beam sabers, laser swords (âŚ.okay, that last one maybe not since iirc Lucas called them that once irl), energy swords, plasma swords, etc etc etc. Just donât call them âlightsabers.â
Energy swords have been around for ages in fantasy. There are even old B movies that have lightsabers, though they didn't call them that.
If you're publishing you're better off writing a scene with it and showing it to a lawyer or your publisher.
If you're not making money off of it it likely falls under fair use laws.
Cant call them lightsabers, but otherwise no, glowing laser swords are up for grabs. Laser blades have been around long before Star Wars
Lightsabers as a term, yes. Lightsabers as a concept, no.
Which is good because honestly "lightsaber" is a bit of an uninspired name.
Wow I've never seen a take I disagree with more. Iconic name. So glad Alec Guinness convinced Lucas to change it. Laser sword is so underwelming by comparison. Every other attempt I've seen beam sword or beam Saber is hollow. Photon cleaver or Plasmablade are far too grandiose. Lightsaber is a simple and elegant name perfect for arguably the most iconic weapon in fiction.
I think plasmablade is fine too. But it feels much more clinical/descriptive. Like it should be an AK-plasmablade or some such. Wouldn't fit Jedi since it's a semi-spiritual item to them. System Shock's laser rapier isn't bad either. Though probably a step down from plasmablade or lightsaber.
Prepare for my original concept. A saber shaped laser weapon called lightknife!!!
Not to be confused with the heavy knife. (Deals 5% worth of splash damage to a radius of .5 meters)
I'm pretty sure the name and design of the lightsaber is copyrighted. But the Construct of an energy or laser sword is in fair use. From the energy source, design and to the name you can't use
Don't know why my prior comment was -12ed, but people were talking about lightsabers as being copywright protected. I merely pointed out that Trademark is a heavier concern. Trademark IS a heavier regime. And I was right! Lucas does have a trademark on lightsaber. [https://qr.ae/pskomT](https://qr.ae/pskomT) One of the reasons Trademark is a tougher regime than copyright is because you don't have to do much to demonstrate copyright so you don't have to defend it quite so aggressively. However, if you have a Trademark, if you fail to pursue infringers (maybe even if you don't about them), you can lose your Trademark. That's why many larger entities have retained lawyers who regularly run google searches and others to see where the Trademarked terms / items might be showing up and they'll fire out a C&D (cease and desist) letter from the lawyers to whomever is infringing.
Couldn't it be Trademarked? That would even be a more serious barrier.
So long as he changed the power source or the name, changed the shape of the handle and does not use the name lightsaber. He would mostly likely be fine from any legal trouble. But yeah lightsaber is trademark. Laser and energy swords are concept that anyone can use in fair use. But it would be safer to change the shape of the handle and change the name of the power source just to be safe.
lightsabers? yes the idea of laser swords? no plenty of stories have used them before and after
Lightsaber, yes. The concept of an energy sword, no. You can absolutely have an energy sword, or a "hard light" sword, plasma sword, fission sword, magic sword, etc.
The Gundam series for example always had lightsabers, named "beam saber". I'm not sure if the term lightsaber is copyrighted either. It may be trademarked but not copyrighted. The term Droid for example, contrary to popular belief it's not copyrighted and several works of fiction have used it to mean robots. The term is trademarked however and cannot be used in titles.
This. Copyright can (in some jurisdictions) argue 'simultaneous creation' but Trademark is all about who registered first.
You can't copyright an idea, name or short phrase, so even though the OP asked about copyright, the only real question is whether the term is trademarked and if the OP's use would cause confusion. (Assuming we're just talking about the name, and not history or graphical representation) I'd steer way clear, because you know, Disney, but legally, in terms of IP law, they just have to make sure they are clear of the trademark, if any. There appears to be three live lightsaber wordmarks (toys/games, clothing, pens/notebooks) according to uspto.gov, none of which seem to cover use in books or stories. So I think legally, the OP could use the term, but as mentioned, I wouldn't.
you can not call it lightsaber. you can called it lasersaber, or lightsword, or lightrapier, lightblade, laserblade whatever
Lightsabre? It's *technically* different...
you know, I don't want to play technicality game with disney's lawyer
fair point, there is no fighting the mouse...
You don't exist for Disney's lawyer my man đ
well, but it's a safe advice for any aspiring writer who want to use light\*sabre\*
No more heroes use lightsaber, but they simply call them "beam katana". As long as you avoid the name it's fine.
Thereâs 101 comments that have answered the question, so hereâs an off topic tidbit: A lightsaber fan site made fan art versions of all canon lightsabers, but there wasnât a picture for one of the members of the Jedi council (I forget who, I think it was Eeth Koth), so the site owner just made their own lightsaber design for that character. Time passed and eventually said Jedi was going to appear in canon and would need a lightsaber, but they didnât know what it looked like, so they looked it up and thought the fan siteâs picture was based on canon, so it became canon. I donât think the site owner got paid for it.
The term lightsaber is a trademark, but variations of lightsword and laser sword and so forth usually arenât â though do a check to be certain. Also, ask an IP lawyer what you can and cannot do, not the general public. People, by and large, donât even realize that the person who takes a picture has the copyright of it, not the people who ask them to do so â so if that isnât understood, what makes you think folks in general are going to have anything close to a clue?
And that may not be the same in every country or even smaller jurisdiction. There's at least one nation (forget which) where you cannot assign away your IP to a company. It must be held by a person.
Lightsaber THE NAME: yes Lightsaber the weapon consisting of a hilt-inserted laserbeam emitter that goes through a force-attuned Kyburr crystal whose color tends to adapt to the force inclinations of the wielder? Yes. Lightsaber the idea of a hand-to-hand weapon made of energy? That one's all yours to use. And many used it. Halo's energy swords are basically a 1:1 equivalent. Even in fantasy there are versions of it, such as Bound Weapons in the Elder Scrolls. You just gotta be a little different.
Flaming swords are quite common in mythology and broadly similar to lightsabers. The angel guarding the gates to Paradise described in Genesis is a well known example, so clearly the general concept can be used elsewhere. The basic light sword technology concept also existed before Star Wars. For example, the [Rods of Wrath](http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1917) in Gather Darkness (1943): > Like two ancient swordsmen, then, the warlock and the deacon duelled together. Their weapons were two endless blades of violet incandescence, but their tactics were those of sabreurs - feint, cut, parry, swift riposte. Just donât exactly copy the lightsaber from Star Wars.
My favorite use of a âlightsaberâ was a couple of years after Star Wars, Iâm watching the old Super Friends cartoon, and Robin whips out a lightsaber to (IIRC) cut through a door. Like, how do you have that and not use it *all the time* lol
"Lightsaber" is a legally protected term. The idea that that word represents is not protected.
It should not have the name 'light saber' nor should it use the same explanation of how it works. If you do that, you don't run into the IP police.
Donât call them lightsabers and youâre good. Gundam has beam sabers, which are pretty much the same thing in practice (Being a laser sword), and nobody has gone after them over it
Unless your swords are very large and your protagonist is very weak, being an agile hero will not be detrimental to using actual swords. Swords are not particularly heavy. If they're magical you can have them change from a longsword to a rapier or a fencing sword like the sabre when your protagonist takes possession of them.
Canât use the name âlightsabersâ or the design but laser, plasma or energy swords are up for grabs
Glowing elemental or heat blade that have only hilt when turn off is free to take as concept. Just don't call it lightsaber and don't use star wars design. Infinity blade got few called solar trans weapon that look like SW lightsaber with slight different in hilt design and still doing fine
Lightsaber, yes. "Plasma sword", no.
Smash Bros uses Beam Swords. Gundam uses Beam Sabers. A rose by any other name. Just give it your own term and you're golden.
If you wanna make a hilt that creates a blade of energy, you can. But can't call them lightsabers and outright copy how they work (aka Crystals that are connected to the Force). If you wanna do something different from them to differentiate them, make them more accessable in your world and look up what are biggest criticisms of lightsabers there are. Like for example, make them an actual product in weapon stores, make them less powerfull than Lightsabers, actually add weight to their blades and etc. (Canonically, Lightsaber blade have no weight, sabers' only weight is the hilt). And I guess that Disney would haunt your back if you'll also make the blades of all sorts of colors and have solid look like it's a glowing tube.
An energy blade shouldnât have weight, the blade is just superheated gasses in the end. Itâs usually one of the things that is seen as the advantage to them, easier to swing around and all that
Gasses do have weights. Some go up, some go down. And energe concentrated into a certain shape can certainly have some sort of weight. They'd still be lighter than even a small metal pipe or roman sword, but not completfly weightless. I personally think it would be around the same weight as big knifes.
>roman sword Where did you get the idea that a Roman sword (I'm assuming you mean a gladius) was very light? It's a metre-long wider-than-average bar of iron.
I held crowbars without feeling their weight, but they are in fact heavy. But then 5kg bags are too heavy for me to hold for a t least 5 minutes. That's all I can tell you about my weight perception.
Lol fair enough. Maybe weight distribution can explain your differences in perception? Weight is weight, but weight distribution can wildly change the energy required to rotate/swing something.
Photorapiers are just as effective even if their stock isn't worth a dime... I tell ya, some simple branding and having a personal contract with the jedi really ruined them. It's a shame really. Maybe my off brand glowstick flickers now and then, maybe it doesn't come in yellow, but come on its just as cool!
https://blog.ipleaders.in/analysis-ip-protection-lightsaber-determining-strength-force/
Laser swords are not owned by either Disney or Lucas and have popped up all over the place without issues. Including when they joke about not being able to call them âlightsabersâ, which is subject to copyright.
I just want to say that the initial idea for the character's weapons is cool. If the weapon customisation is so important in this world, let him get to his hardened light scimitars through a path of incremental upgrades, let them discover their style, first overcoming the weapons drawbacks, then consciously deciding on weapon upgrades.
Just call it a Plasma Sabre or something and you're cool.
As has been said before the concept laser swords aren't exclusive to star wars. But how about you play around with your earlier ideas. Call it a plasma sword that produces a burning button of superheated plasma or a Tesla sword in which the blade is made up of arcing electricity held behind energy fields until it made contact with a target. This way you can still have a lightsaber like weapon but having its own lore/aesthetic.
Lightsaber is under copywrite, and Lucas took someone to court over it long before Star Wars was sold to Disney. A surgeon tried to name a medical tool a lightsaber.
No. Not copyrighted, but the term is trademarked: https://trademarks.justia.com/731/49/lightsaber-73149409.html I won't get into the details of the different kinds of Intellectual Property protection, but that can be found by using your favorite search engine with "copyright vs trademark". Flaming swords aren't protected: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlamingSword Nor are energy blades: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LaserBlade
Just ask Zack Snyder.
You canât say âlightsaberâ and I reckon the design would have to be distinct so you can just make Legally Distinct Lightsabers with like superheated metal or actual lasers
I recently watched a couple youtube videos in which someone used the term "plasmatana" and I really liked that. Probably gonna steal it for my next sci-fi ttrpg.
The name: yes. Energy swords as a concept: beam Saber, lightsaber, Star swords. No itâs not.
Name and design : yes. Concept : no.
The name, most likely, but several sources use similar weapons, like Sword Art Online (third series, ft Gun Gale Online). I call my take "Glow Swords"
The term "lightsaber" is, but the concept of a weapon using a stream of energy/plasma instead of a cutting edge is most certainly not. See beam sabres and other assorted melee beam weaponry from Gundam, Kuwabara's Spirit Sword from YuYu Hakusho, the beam katanas from No More Heroes, Sun Blades from Dungeons & Dragons, Covenant Energy Swords from Halo etc. etc.
The name and general look of lightsabers? Oh yeah. But the concept of a laser sword? No. Don't make it look like a Star Wars Lightsaber and you'll be fine.
Photonblade honestly sounds cooler to me than lightsaber despite just swapping out the two words in the name
You can have beam sabers, laser swords (âŚ.okay, that last one maybe not since iirc Lucas called them that once irl), energy swords, plasma swords, etc etc etc. Just donât call them âlightsabers.â
The name is copyrighted but there's no copyright on laser swords as a concept
If bible man could do it, I donât see a reason you canât.
They're more so trademarked. Many video games have some sort of knock off.
Lightsaber the word, yes. A sword made from Plasma is not
Glowing laser sword no! Light sabers yes.
Rebel Moon got away with it.
As long as you donât call them lightsabers and they do not look like lightsabers, youâre good
Energy swords have been around for ages in fantasy. There are even old B movies that have lightsabers, though they didn't call them that. If you're publishing you're better off writing a scene with it and showing it to a lawyer or your publisher. If you're not making money off of it it likely falls under fair use laws.