FIRST OFF . . .

Lucasfilm Inc. has slapped Sharp Corp. with a $60-million lawsuit, claiming the company used “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars-like” figures without permission in advertising TVs and VCRs. The federal suit accuses an American subsidiary of Japan-based Sharp Electronics Corp. and Standard Advertising of Japan with copyright infringement and other violations. These characters “have become widely known to the public throughout the world” and are an important source of revenue, the suit states. Lucasfilm seeks $45 million in compensatory and $15 million in punitive damages. Sharp officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The advertisement appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including the international edition of Newsweek, starting in December 1987, according to the suit. A copy of the Sharp ad, included in the court papers, shows a man and a boy sitting as though watching television. The boy is holding what looks like a futuristic rifle and is wearing a helmet similar to that worn by storm troopers in the “Star Wars” films. The man is wearing a felt hat and a torn shirt and carrying a whip, features of the “Indiana Jones” character.