A U.S. District Court judge ruled today in Los Angeles that James Cameron didn't steal the idea for "Avatar."
Judge Margaret Murrow granted summary judgment against visual effects designer Gerald Morawski, ruling there is "clear, undisputed evidence" that Cameron came up with the idea for the billion-dollar blockbuster on his own.
Morawski is one of a handful of people who have come forward since the film's 2009 release with plagiarism lawsuits.
Here's Cameron's statement following the case via Deadline:
“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.”
Last year, Cameron filed a 45-page detailed declaration documenting the long process that went into creating the box-office blockbuster.
The analysis described four early sci-fi projects of Cameron's from which he borrowed to create "Avatar."
The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time earning $2.7 billion worldwide.
Cameron's currently working on "Avatar 2" which is scheduled for a 2015 release.
