James Cameron Prevails In ‘Avatar’ Lawsuit
“Clear, undisputed evidence” reveals director James Cameron came up with the concept for Avatar, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in Los Angeles. Late last week, Judge Margaret Murrow granted (read the ruling here) the Oscar-winning director’s request for summary judgement in a suit from Gerald Morawski, who accused Cameron of ripping off his ideas to come up with the 2009 3D blockbuster. Morawaski claimed that back in 1991 he pitched Cameron on an environmental themed concept called Guardians of Eden. He sued Cameron in late 2011 for Breach of Contract and other claims. The case has been inching through the courts ever since. This is the second such suit Cameron has won recently. In September last year, the director and Fox prevailed over a copyright infringement suit from writer Elijah Schkeiban who claimed Avatar was ripped-off his novel and subsequent film script Bats And Butterflies. Here’s a statement from Cameron today on this latest ruling:
“It is a sad reality of our business that whenever there is a successful film, people come out of the woodwork claiming that their ideas were used. AVATAR was my most personal film, drawing upon themes and concepts that I had been exploring for decades. I am grateful that the Court saw through the blatant falsity of Mr. Morawski’s claim.”
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