Not looking to start an intellectual property/copyright debate here. I'm sure there are those more knowledgable in the legality of IPs than I. The specific nature of the copyright agreement between Star Wars authors and LucasFilm, however, means that Star Wars as an IP belongs entirely to LucasFilm/Disney.

Anyone can sue over anything, obviously. But if an author actually tried to sue Disney for using a character or other element from a Star Wars book they'd written, which as an IP belongs to LucasFilm (which is owned by Disney), they would lose.

And anyways, Disney isn't getting rid of the EU. They are re-branding the whole thing under the Legends banner. They are still printing and selling works under this banner. It's just for purposes of canon continuity that this announcement has been made, not because Disney is disavowing or breaking away from the EU. This is really simply in keeping with the attitude held by Lucas and LFL towards the EU from the beginning: in essence, "EU is great, glad it's there, might use some stuff, but I will probably step on some toes with this film and you gotta deal because what I put on screen is the only canon I'm gonna worry about."

All that to say...I will not be surprised at all if there are several EU elements to be found in Episodes VII and beyond, again in keeping with the general attitude by those in charge of LFL towards the EU.

The idea isn't to win a copyright infringement action, it's to not even go to court. That's how you avoid it, by having your ducks in a row. This isn't from me, it's directly from the mouths of artists and other professionals I know in the art and movie industry who have been a part of these actions. Just owning something on paper doesn't mean someone wins a lawsuit, any lawyer will tell you you don't want something in front of a jury because you never know what a jury will do. You get summary judgements when you can demonstrate the level of control I'm talking about.

You're right what they're doing with the EU as well, but for the reason I mentioned. It's got nothing to do with them even liking anything in particular about the EU. It's about saying the EU is not part of our creative process and we reserve the right to tread all over it, and even though we may tread on it, this is us exerting control over it demonstrably.

The new movies will use what they want from the EU and discard what they don't much like Lucas did. Coruscant came from the EU to the movies in the same way. I expect by the time they finish the next 6 movies we will see a number of easter eggs or nods to the EU materials in one form or another.

The idea that they won't for copyright reasons is laughable as the authors themselves have confirmed that all the liscenced EU material is the property of lucasfilm to do with as they please, as part of the deal they made for producing it.

It hasn't got to do with copyright issues involving any piece of existing EU. It has to do with demonstrating control over an IP. Just owning a copyright is not the end of defending an IP, you have to actively demonstrate that control.

I am pretty sure you are biting off a lot more than you can chew in this discussion 2P51... First there was the "they said they are not using anything from it" misquote and now you are piling error upon error in the field of IP and copyrights.

Let me put it very simple by giving a small example;

Is FFG including Chis as a species a copyrights infringement on Zane? Nope.

Are they part of the EU? Yep.

Could Disney use them in an upcoming movie? Sure. Why not?

As soon as they did they'd be canon though. Plus, that doesn't mean that species never mentioned in the movies don't have a place in the Star Wars galaxy, it is a big place.

I give up.

I give up.

An honorable surrender? On the internet? But, but...

Canon is 100% reallity and non-canon is a "maybe unless contradiction".

So, Kyle Katarn, Mara Jade, Yuuz... bad anti-Force aliens XD doesn't exist actually BUT they can exist in a future if people from Lucas want it.

Of course everyone is free to add what he/she wishes. I use to add things from Chrono Cross or Mega Man X so XD

Galaxy is colosal, but further from that limits can exist Mass Effect galaxy, Doctor Who... in the entire Universe there are infinite (or almost) galaxies!

I love Star Wars as a roleplaygame Tons of possibilities!

Here is how I see it, Star Wars has just pulled an "alternate dimension" reboot without having to show it on screen. If the new Trek movies take place in Dimension Y whereas the originals took place in X, Disney/Lucas Arts has just said that the EU is effectively Dimension Y, it kinda sorta didn't happen, but some of it could happen and will happen, just maybe differently than you though. Case in points from the announcement, "For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s." So the ISB is going to be canonized, along with other things in the new Rebels show.

In some ways I think this will be good for the EU as some of it will start to get recognition and become part of canon officially. Maybe we'll even finally get to see a Bothan on screen, I've wanted that since RotJ. I do wonder where this leaves SWTOR. I know it is mostly post RotJ EU that is being swept aside, but it is only a matter of time before they make Old Republic era movies, shows or books. It would be a poor use of the IP if they didn't.

I understand now what 2P51 was saying about demonstrating control over the EU as an intellectual property, and it does make sense. Disney doesn't do anything by accident, and what they do do usually has the most positive spin possible on it. So if this move has any sort of legal significance, you can bet they would have thought it through, and it is reasonable to assume that is why they appointed Chee, Hidalgo, et al to overhaul the canon.

Whatever the reasons behind the move, they did it with class. I personally would have liked to see a little more picking and choosing rather than a slate wipe (the team was appointed months ago, and it just seems kind of anticlimactic after all that waiting...like, did it really take you that long to relegate the entire EU to Legends?), but in the end I can understand that they wanted to make room for more story.

I understand now what 2P51 was saying about demonstrating control over the EU as an intellectual property, and it does make sense. Disney doesn't do anything by accident, and what they do do usually has the most positive spin possible on it. So if this move has any sort of legal significance, you can bet they would have thought it through, and it is reasonable to assume that is why they appointed Chee, Hidalgo, et al to overhaul the canon.

Whatever the reasons behind the move, they did it with class. I personally would have liked to see a little more picking and choosing rather than a slate wipe (the team was appointed months ago, and it just seems kind of anticlimactic after all that waiting...like, did it really take you that long to relegate the entire EU to Legends?), but in the end I can understand that they wanted to make room for more story.

I think behind the scenes there has been more picking and choosing. Like the articles says things from the EU are going to be incorporated into Rebels and likely into the new movies. This is not a true tabula rasa, they haven't said they are locking away the old EU and hiding the key, as much as it is giving them the freedom to pick and choose away from the public eye.

I understand now what 2P51 was saying about demonstrating control over the EU as an intellectual property, and it does make sense. Disney doesn't do anything by accident, and what they do do usually has the most positive spin possible on it. So if this move has any sort of legal significance, you can bet they would have thought it through, and it is reasonable to assume that is why they appointed Chee, Hidalgo, et al to overhaul the canon.

Whatever the reasons behind the move, they did it with class. I personally would have liked to see a little more picking and choosing rather than a slate wipe (the team was appointed months ago, and it just seems kind of anticlimactic after all that waiting...like, did it really take you that long to relegate the entire EU to Legends?), but in the end I can understand that they wanted to make room for more story.

I think behind the scenes there has been more picking and choosing. Like the articles says things from the EU are going to be incorporated into Rebels and likely into the new movies. This is not a true tabula rasa, they haven't said they are locking away the old EU and hiding the key, as much as it is giving them the freedom to pick and choose away from the public eye.

They didn't invalidate the EU and say "we are not using it" they are saying, "we are open to do as we please with the EU" and if any of it shows up in future projects it will be, from then onwards, canon.

As long as we get to keep "Mission From Mt. Yoda" and "The Glove of Darth Vader" I will be happy. Perhaps the new movies could use plot elements from these, and we can have Benedict Cumberbatch play Trioculus!!

@DanteRotterdam and LokisCoyote, I totally agree. I guess I meant that I would have just liked to see a bit more of that picking and choosing happen on this side of the "GM screen." Apologies for the rather crotchety comment from earlier

@DanteRotterdam and LokisCoyote, I totally agree. I guess I meant that I would have just liked to see a bit more of that picking and choosing happen on this side of the "GM screen." Apologies for the rather crotchety comment from earlier

I can understand that. I'm rather attached to certain ideas, characters and concepts from the EU, so it would be nice to just have it resolved. That being said, I think as time goes on more and more from the EU will get utilized. If the way Disney has handled Marvel is any indication, they will eventually start tacking SW in many different directions and let's be honest it is the perfect universe to do so.

I'd actually love to see them start an entire Old Republic line of movies, I think there is a great deal of free space to work with there.

I don't think anything will be used in the new movies from the EU.

Why not? At least some parts of the EU were included in the PT.

http://starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page.html

Cuz they just said it won't.

No, they didn't.

From your link:

"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded."

It hasn't got to do with copyright issues involving any piece of existing EU. It has to do with demonstrating control over an IP. Just owning a copyright is not the end of defending an IP, you have to actively demonstrate that control.

Nope. That's trademarks. Not copyright, and not patents.

Knowing failure to enforce a copyright or patent doesn't limit your ability to later enforce that same copyright or patent (even against the same individual), it simply limits the past damages you can seek. Trademarks must be enforced, or they can be lost.