"James Cameron slapped with lawsuit over "Avatar" plot"

[Kayrìlien]

http://news.yahoo.com/james-cameron-slapped-lawsuit-over-avatar-plot-192455370.html

"LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Avatar" director James Cameron has been hit with a lawsuit by a writer who claims that the plot for the hit sci-fi movie was lifted from his own project.

In the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, Eric Ryder claims that he entered into an agreement with Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, to develop a movie based on his story "KRZ 2068."

According to the suit, the project was envisioned as "an environmentally themed 3-D epic about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting."

After working on the project for nearly two years, Ryder alleges, Lightstorm put the kibosh on it, explaining that "no one would be interested in an environmentally themed science fiction feature film."

Shortly after, the suit says, Lightstorm began work on "Avatar," which Ryder says, "liberally and substantially uses material that fell within the LEI-Ryder agreement."
According to the suit, Ryder's story involved a protagonist who's sent to the moon of a distant planet by an Earth-based mining corporation; moreover, the details of the project called for 3-D effects to "infuse the story."

And since, according to the suit, Ryder's agreement with Lightstorm stipulated that material from the project wouldn't be used without Ryder "sharing in the commercial receipts and the writer or producer credits," he wants to get paid from the mega-successful "Avatar."

Ryder claims that he was told that Cameron alone wrote "Avatar," and that he had prepared a "scriptment" for the project before Ryder and Lightstorm entered the agreement. Ryder says that's untrue -- and says that his story was circulated to the bigwigs at Lightstorm, including Cameron.

Claiming breach of implied contract, fraud and deceit, negligent misrepresentation and other infractions, Ryder is seeking unspecified contract damages, tort damages, punitive damages and that he be awarded the profits "that defendants obtained from their wrongful acts."

Given the billions of dollars that "Avatar" pulled in worldwide, that could be pretty substantial.

Cameron's attorney and Lightstorm did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)"

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

I find it interesing this Ryder guy waited almost 2 years to do this. I've never even heard of him, who is he?

-Txonä Rolyu

[Kamean]

Cameron works since 1994.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

I'm talking about he waited 2 years since the theatrical release of Avatar. I'm trying to find out who this Eric Ryder guy is. Not a whole lot out there...

-Txonä Rolyu

[Ftiafpi]

Hmmmm, I suspect that this guy is just fishing for money but perhaps that's just me hoping it's not true.

[Kamean]

Asserted a similar met before. But this first one who go to court.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

Well I did find this which says Ryder was furious when Avatar premiered in 09 and made tons of money and that he alleges to have complained to Cameron's people in 09 but they didn't get back to him until now. If he really did talk to them in 09 and they never got back to him, why didn't he keep trying or file this earlier if he was so furious? It doesn't make sense.

-Txonä Rolyu

[Clarke]

Probably legal things. Professional trolling is complicated. 

[Toruk Makto]

I am guessing it's a shotgun lawsuit. Just a fishing trip where only the lawyers will get paid. It will probably fail the laugh test first time in front of a judge.

[Ningey]

*head->desk*

Yeah, right! *gnarf*

That sounds like someone who is just jealous and a freeloader. If I'm not mistaken here Cameron started working on Avatar much earlier than 1997 (as Ryder claimed that he started his work on his "project"). If that was true, Ryder would have to watch out for his lawsuit not to backfire - in this case Cameron could turn the tables and sue Ryder for malicious allegation, libel and slander and the likes - and that could become really nasty.

[Niri Te]

I just hope that it does not delay the sequel.

[Kamean]

It shouldn't.

[Swoka Ikran]

If I'm not mistaken here Cameron started working on Avatar much earlier than 1997 (as Ryder claimed that he started his work on his "project").

IIRC, Project 880 was from 1994...

[Kamean]

Really.

[Tsmuktengan]

* Tsmuktengan reads this topic.

Naaah, yet another lawsuit for green papers.

* Tsmuktengan goes to read another topic.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Reading the suit, this may actually go a bit farther than i first expected.

[Seze Mune]

* Tsmuktengan reads this topic.

Naaah, yet another lawsuit for green papers.

* Tsmuktengan goes to read another topic.

Seze Mune reads Tsmuktengan's response, scratches head with talon while pondering 'green papers', figures that's something for training ayikran to certain target areas when roosting in Kelutral, and wanders off for another thread...

[Tsmuktengan]

* Tsmuktengan reads this topic.

Naaah, yet another lawsuit for green papers.

* Tsmuktengan goes to read another topic.

Seze Mune reads Tsmuktengan's response, scratches head with talon while pondering 'green papers', figures that's something for training ayikran to certain target areas when roosting in Kelutral, and wanders off for another thread...

Hrrrrh! 

I have not thought about these ones. 

[Seze Mune]

* Tsmuktengan reads this topic.

Naaah, yet another lawsuit for green papers.

* Tsmuktengan goes to read another topic.

Seze Mune reads Tsmuktengan's response, scratches head with talon while pondering 'green papers', figures that's something for training ayikran to certain target areas when roosting in Kelutral, and wanders off for another thread...

Hrrrrh! 

I have not thought about these ones. 

Sran, it makes sleeping in hammocks an adventure in Kelutral!

[Tsmuktengan]

* Tsmuktengan reads this topic.

Naaah, yet another lawsuit for green papers.

* Tsmuktengan goes to read another topic.

Seze Mune reads Tsmuktengan's response, scratches head with talon while pondering 'green papers', figures that's something for training ayikran to certain target areas when roosting in Kelutral, and wanders off for another thread...

Hrrrrh! 

I have not thought about these ones. 

Sran, it makes sleeping in hammocks an adventure in Kelutral!

Srane indeed. This is partly why we love hammocks.