The makers of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, currently nominated for 13 Academy Awards, are being sued for plagiarism. Italian writer Adriana Pichini has claimed that the film is based upon a story she wrote 15 years ago.

The film, still to be released by Warner Bros later this month, is supposedly inspired by F Scott Fitzgerald's short story about a man who ages in reverse. His acclaimed tale, of the same title, was published in 1921. Pichini's lawsuit, however, alleges that David Fincher's film is based upon her 1994 story, Il ritorno di Arthur all' innocenza (Arthur's Return to Innocence), which was registered with Italian authorities at the time. It was also sent to US publishers, but 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." No timetable has yet been set for the judge's viewing of the film.