Someone answer this question for me if you can. How can Third Party creators make movement sticks and sell them? Isn't flight sticks copyrighted? Or just the entire system itself?

1 hour ago, xAvrikx said:

Isn't flight sticks copyrighted? Or just the entire system itself?

No the sticks aren't protected under any sort of IP, and FFG is apparently quite fine with people using them since they allow them in official events.

That makes sense. I'm glad FFG isn't as copyright hungry as a certain other miniatures company we all know.

26 minutes ago, xAvrikx said:

That makes sense. I'm glad FFG isn't as copyright hungry as a certain other miniatures company we all know.

I'm about 90% sure that this isn't something that can be copyrighted or trademarked - the movement templates are not artwork, they're more like game mechanics (they're fundamentally a set of measurements of dimensions and arc angles etc), which could only be patented - and they're already copied (under license IIUC) from Wings of War, so that's out the window.

It's worth noting that the designs on them (i.e. the laser bolt on the range ruler, the symbols for the various manoeuvres etc) CAN be copyrighted, so anyone who's selling direct duplicates of those might be in for an uncomfortable time.

9 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

and they're already copied (under license IIUC) from Wings of War, so that's out the window.

I don't think Wings of War used anything like X-Wing's templates. That game used a card system that was IIRC a combo of the dial and template.

But I think you're right that they couldn't really copyright or trademark the templates.