A new legal battle has emerged for director James Cameron and Walt Disney Co. as they face a copyright lawsuit over the Avatar franchise. Filed on March 25, 2024, in the US District Court for the Central District of California, the suit claims that the 2022 film, Avatar: The Way of Water, infringed on the copyright of a writer’s original work.
The plaintiff, 3D animator Eric Ryder, alleges that both Cameron and Disney have incorporated elements from his science fiction story, KRZ, into the sequel. This accusation comes just days before the scheduled release of Avatar: Fire and Ash on March 29, 2024. Ryder previously filed a lawsuit regarding the original Avatar, which was dismissed when a California state court ruled that Cameron had created the film before Ryder submitted his work to Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment.
In this latest lawsuit, Ryder asserts that the alleged copyright violations are specific to The Way of Water and do not attempt to relitigate previous claims. The complaint states, “This action is not an attempt to relitigate prior claims. It challenges new acts of copying that occur for the first time in Avatar 2.”
The lawsuit highlights various similarities between KRZ and the Avatar universe. According to the complaint, these include “anthropomorphic beings, a vast oceanic setting, and a sinister, Earth-based corporation engaging in environmentally harmful mining operations on the moon of a gas giant planet called Europa.” Ryder claims that a key plot device in The Way of Water resembles a central theme in his original work: the harvesting of an animal-based substance that can extend human life.
Ryder is seeking at least $500 million in damages and a court order to halt the release of the upcoming film. The lawsuit describes the defendants’ actions as “blatant and egregious,” calling for compensation for the alleged misappropriation of Ryder’s creative work.
As the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash approaches, the timing of this lawsuit presents a significant challenge for Disney. The Avatar franchise has proven to be one of the studio’s most lucrative, with The Way of Water grossing over $2.3 billion globally. The film played a crucial role in revitalizing cinema attendance in the post-pandemic landscape, particularly in markets like Australia, where it has consistently ranked among the top-grossing films.
Representatives for Disney and Lightstorm have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. Ryder’s attorney, Daniel Saunders, has emphasized the seriousness of the claims, stating, “The defendants’ alleged misappropriation and downright theft of Mr Ryder’s protected creative work to create the third highest-grossing movie of all time is blatant and egregious, and it cries out for compensation.”
As this legal drama unfolds, audiences and industry watchers alike will be keen to see how this lawsuit impacts the future of the beloved Avatar series.
