Copyright Curmudgeon Harlan Ellison Sues To Halt Release Of New Regencys In Time

If director Andrew Niccol and New Regency’s Justin Timberlakethriller In Time is based on a pilfered idea,asis claimed in a copyright suitfiled yesterday in L.A. federal court, they may have picked on thewrong guy. At the wrong time. The suit was brought by science fiction author Harlan Ellison, who says that the movie is too close to his 1965 novel “Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman” and wantsits scheduled Oct. 28 release blocked. A copyright curmudgeon, Ellison has a track record of filing high-profile copyright cases. Hereceived an acknowledgment credit after he sued over The Terminator, claiming it was based on two Outer Limits episodes her wrote.And according to the suit, after years of waiting,Ellison recentlyhad a third party write an adaptationof the book and was preparing to approach thestudios with it. Ellison’s suit alleges plot and character parallels, and heapparently isn’t the only one who sees similarities. The author notes in his suit that critic Richard Roeper in his Fall Movie Preview, says that the film “is based on a short story by the great Harlan Ellison.” In addition to blocking the film’s release, Ellison is seeking compensatory damages.

Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie