LEGAL FILE

Ewok Origin Contested: An assistant to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, Jane Bay, testified Friday in federal court in Calgary, Alberta, that the film maker never read the script from which he is accused of stealing his endearing Ewoks’ characters and that unsolicited material is given unread to another assistant to be returned to the sender. A Canadian writer-producer is suing Lucas, his company, Lucas Films Ltd. and 20th Century Fox for $128 million alleging that Lucas stole the concept and name for the Ewok characters, the bear-like child-sized tree dwellers that starred in the film “Return of the Jedi.” Calgary writer-producer Dean Preston is alleging copyright infringement and breach of implied contract, saying Lucas stole the concept from a script called “Space Pets” that Preston co-wrote and sent to Lucas in 1978. Lucas testified Thursday that his Ewoks and Preston’s creatures are similar “only in a gross sense--they have fur, and they walk on two feet.” The case continues today.