This was not the decision Lucas was looking for

LONDON — This wasn't the judgment he was looking for.

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A British court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by George Lucas' film empire to collect damages from the prop designer who sold replicas of the Stormtrooper uniforms from the "Star Wars" movies.

Lucasfilm Ltd. has been locked in a long-running legal battle with designer Andrew Ainsworth over the replica suits and helmets he sold through a Web site.

Ainsworth sculpted the Stormtrooper helmets for the first "Star Wars" movie in 1977 and later sold reproductions of the molded white uniforms, worn in the films by warriors of the evil Galactic Empire.

The case ended ambiguously at London's High Court last year. A judge ruled that Ainsworth had violated Lucas's U.S. copyright, but rejected a copyright claim against him under British law, saying the costumes were not works of art and were therefore not covered by British copyright law.

The judge also refused to enforce in Britain a $20 million judgment Lucasfilm won against Ainsworth in a California court in 2006, saying Ainsworth's U.S. sales were not significant enough to make him susceptible to U.S. jurisdiction.

Last month, Lucasfilm took the matter to the Court of Appeal, but in a ruling Wednesday the judges turned the company down.

It was not immediately clear whether Lucasfilm would appeal the ruling.