Lucasfilm Ltd. has been trying to stop Andrew Ainsworth from selling replica costumes over the Internet. Ainsworth sculpted the galactic warriors' white helmets for the original "Star Wars" film in 1977. Lower courts ruled in 2008 and 2009 that the costumes were not works of art and not covered by British copyright law - victories for Ainsworth.

The country's highest court on Wednesday upheld those decision. But it agreed with Lucasfilm's lawyers that Ainsworth had violated Lucas's copyright in the United States by selling costumes there.