http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191216,00.html

Web-Video 'Star Wars Kid' Settles Lawsuit Against Classmates
Monday, April 10, 2006

The high-school student who became an Internet phenomenon as the "Star Wars Kid" has settled a huge lawsuit with the classmates who first posted the video without his knowledge.

Ghyslain Raza was 15 when the images of him wielding a lightsaber first appeared on the Internet three years ago.

The youngster from a small town in Quebec says he was driven out of school by classmates who taunted him with chants of "Star Wars Kid! Star Wars Kid!"

Late last week, Raza and his parents reached an out-of-court settlement with three other students over the video that turned him — unwillingly — into one of the first viral video stars.

The video of a chubby, young kid clumsily swinging a pole was picked up by Web nuts who, in turn, enhanced it digitally, added light sabers, music and graphics to create a "Star Wars" parody.

The video of Raza became fodder for late-night television jokes and was even the inspiration for a running joke on the TV show "Arrested Development."

Within a few months of its first appearance on the Web in April 2003, it had been downloaded tens of millions of times all over the world, according to court papers.

The original video was discovered on a shelf in the school's media room by two fellow students.

They posted it on the Web as "an interesting prank," one classmate testified.

Raza sued the former schoolmates for $310,000 in damages shortly after the incident. The amount of the final settlement — which came just as the trial was about to begin — was not disclosed.

"It was simply unbearable, totally. It was impossible to attend class," Raza testified.

He said he was diagnosed with depression afterward.

He said whenever he was in a public place, strangers would call to him: "Hey! It's Ghyslain Raza! Star Wars Kid, hey!"

He left the school and eventually got a private tutor.

I'm not familiar with the story. How did these kids get ahold of the video in the first place?

Read a little further into the article.

The original video was discovered on a shelf in the school's media room by two fellow students.

They posted it on the Web as "an interesting prank," one classmate testified.

iirc, he taped himself doing lightsaber moves with a school videocamera. after he was done he left the tape in the camera and some of his classmates found it. And the rest is history.

That 'Lightning Bolt' guy oughta see if he can get some of this "I-Let-Myself-Get-Taped-Doing-Something-Embarassing-And-It-Got-On-The-Internet" money.

Read a little further into the article.

Man, I'm horrible at comprehension.

Edit: Though I got to ask why there are so many line breaks in that story. Discourages me from reading it line-to-line.

That 'Lightning Bolt' guy oughta see if he can get some of this "I-Let-Myself-Get-Taped-Doing-Something-Embarassing-And-It-Got-On-The-Internet" money.

Damn, what a classic that was. Thank god for youtube and instant gratification

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw&search=lightning%20bolt

Oh my...poor kid. He got called horrific names like "star Wars Kid".


Grow a pair.

Wait... he's in Quebec... and he's suing for $310,000. In Canadian dollars.

I'm guessing they settled out-of-court for a couple of Big Macs and a mint-condition Jar Jar Binks action figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26B-Ia0Dvu0&search=star%20wars%20kid

Here is another question to throw onto the pile.

Did he have the school's permission to use the video recorder to film this?

baby got back

Somehow I don't think that "Star Wars kid" is any worse than the shit he undoubtably got called before this happened.

Somehow I don't think that "Star Wars kid" is any worse than the shit he undoubtably got called before this happened.
excellent point

Oh my...poor kid. He got called horrific names like "star Wars Kid".


Grow a pair.

And forgo that cash? You're nuts.

Wait... he's in Quebec... and he's suing for $310,000. In Canadian dollars.

I'm guessing they settled out-of-court for a couple of Big Macs and a mint-condition Jar Jar Binks action figure.

you haven't travelled north much lately haven't you? Canadian dollar jokes are kind of off right now and have been for about a year now. Current exchange rate is about 1 U$ = 1.15 C$...

As for the kid, I got no comments. Saw the news in the local paper, wanted to post about it here and completely forgot about it. I agree that he probably got called worse than that in his life, simply by looking at him. Heck, fwiw we've probably all have been called worse in our lives, just not on a worldwide level...

FM

Heck, fwiw we've probably all have been called worse in our lives, just not on a worldwide level...

Hell, wish I would have thought to tape myself acting like an uncoordinated jedi complete with a golf ball retriever and 'wiiiing.. wiinng... woooong.' noises and I would have turned the international teasing into a bunch of con appearances and a 5 minute spot on Letterman and Conan.. shit, bet George Lucas would have gave me a background screen shot as a Jedi in Episode 3..

Some see teasing, I see a missed opportunity to enhance your 15 minutes...

Your not taping this are you?

No never, never.

These videos remind me of my favorite one that Pumpy posted awhile back:

hxxp://www.twyst.org/~pumpy/castin.mov

If you can watch that without laughing outloud, you are having a bad day. :)

These videos remind me of my favorite one that Pumpy posted awhile back:

hxxp://www.twyst.org/~pumpy/castin.mov

If you can watch that without laughing outloud, you are having a bad day. :)

funny you should mention that one cause as I was cleaning up stuff on my home computer a couple days ago, I came upon it and had forgotten what that "castin.mov" file was all about, until I clicked it and immediately started laughing :D

FM

These videos remind me of my favorite one that Pumpy posted awhile back:

hxxp://www.twyst.org/~pumpy/castin.mov

If you can watch that without laughing outloud, you are having a bad day. :)

I love that one... :D

I guess I don't know too much about the law regarding this, but do you need permission to put a video of a person online? If not, I don't know where the damages are here. And if he video taped himself using someone else's equipment, I would expect even less liability.

Damn, if I was that kid that got caught whacking off to WoW, I would have some serious dollar signs in my eyes right now.

if he was suing for 310,000, I'm assuming he settled for substantially less than that. After lawyer fees and taxes, he'd probably be lucky to clear $50,000

he'd probably be lucky to clear $50,000
How horrible. ;)

I guess I don't know too much about the law regarding this, but do you need permission to put a video of a person online?

Yeah, I think you'd definately would. Unless it is in public and newsworthy.

How horrible. ;)
if someone offered me $50,000 with the only caveat being I had to look like that kid, I would probably bitch-slap the guy and walk away

As I see it, Chubs had two options:

1) Cry and piss about it like a sissy and start suing people, making himself look like a total ass, while making $310k

or

2) Cash in on that bad boy and ride out the 15 minutes of fame and be an internet hero, while making $?k in show appearances around the country.

Yeah, I would have been mortified at first. But at least I'm smart enough to know I could have milked that humility for all it's worth and come out laughing at the end while at least 2 hotties sucked on my schlong and called me "Star Wars Kid" while doing so.

Somehow I don't think that "Star Wars kid" is any worse than the shit he undoubtably got called before this happened.

Popular he is not

I doubt he makes 310k embracing the persona... so good money decision for him, IMO.

if he was suing for 310,000, I'm assuming he settled for substantially less than that. After lawyer fees and taxes, he'd probably be lucky to clear $50,000

just checked the local paper in which I had read the news and they said he was suing for 350k cdn$ (approx $305k US) and that while the settlement was confidential, it was thought to be around $35k cdn...

FM

funny you should mention that one cause as I was cleaning up stuff on my home computer a couple days ago, I came upon it and had forgotten what that "castin.mov" file was all about, until I clicked it and immediately started laughing :D

FM
Holy crap I'd never seen that one... just watched it about 5 straight times. Good stuff!


Crim

just checked the local paper in which I had read the news and they said he was suing for 350k cdn$ (approx $305k US) and that while the settlement was confidential, it was thought to be around $35k cdn...

FM
Canada. Funny I always thought "Only in America" applied to this kind of Bullshit messed up legal system.

just checked the local paper in which I had read the news and they said he was suing for 350k cdn$ (approx $305k US) and that while the settlement was confidential, it was thought to be around $35k cdn...

FM

so, after legal fees and taxes, he gets...what, $10 grand?

so, after legal fees and taxes, he gets...what, $10 grand?


In Canada, that can get you 17 cartons of cigarettes.

so, after legal fees and taxes, he gets...what, $10 grand?

1 bite of a 100 grand bar.

mmmm.. 100 grand bar

http://www.oldtimecandy.com/images/candypix-pages/100-grand-bar_small.jpg