The legal case of Benjamin Button

Last Updated: Monday, February 2, 2009 11:05 AM ET Comments17Recommend22

CBC News

An Italian office worker has filed a court case alleging The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was based on a story she wrote in 1994.

The film, starring Brad Pitt and which has been nominated for 13 Oscars, plots the life of a man who ages backward. It is said to be inspired by a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

But Adriana Pichini of Rome claims the movie is based on her 15-year-old story, Il ritorno di Arthur all'innocenza (Arthur's Return to Innocence ), which was registered with Italian copyright authorities in 1994. She says she sent it to publishers in the U.S. but it was never published.

"At this point it's still a matter of principle," Pichini's lawyer, Gianni Massaro, told the Hollywood Reporter.

"What happens next will depend on what the judge rules."

Massaro opened a file with the Rome Tribunal Court. A judge will watch the film and read the story. The judge then has to determine if there are enough similarities to warrant a court investigation.

Massaro says he's unsure whether his client wants to seek financial compensation from director David Fincher, screenwriter Eric Roth and the film's producers.

No date has been set for a court decision.