Twentieth Century Fox announced on Tuesday [5] that James Cameron has won a lawsuit against Gerald Morawski, who claimed that the film-maker had used his ideas to create Avatar.

United States District Judge Margaret Morrow granted Cameron’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing Morawski’s suit.

Judge Morrow concluded that “clear, undisputed evidence shows Cameron independently created Avatar and did not use Morawski’s ideas. As a result, Morawski’s claim for breach of express contract fails as a matter of law, and the court grants defendants’ motion for summary judgment on that claim.”

Cameron issued a statement that read: “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.”