James Cameron hit with `Avatar` copyright lawsuit

London: Director James Cameron is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from a man who claims the legendary moviemaker stole his idea for `Avatar`.

Eric Ryder filed a lawsuit at Los Angeles County Superior Court on December 8, claiming he approached Cameron`s production company Lightstorm Entertainment in 1999 with an idea for an "environmentally themed 3D epic about a corporation`s colonisation and plundering of a distant moon`s lush and wondrous natural setting," Daily Star reported. He also claims his project included "self-contained robotic exterior suits which house a single human operator... just like in `Avatar`." The papers suggest Cameron`s company officials turned their backs on talks in 2002, and that Ryder complained to the director`s representatives in 2009, when the movie became the highest-grossing film of all time. Ryder is seeking unspecified damages and wants to be awarded a portion of the film`s profits. PTI