He's demanded $50m in damages � and he also wants Twentieth Century Fox to ensure Avatar is never seen again in its current form. In papers lodged at New York District Court last week, and revealed by Deadline, Dean's representatives argue that floating islands and stone arches as seen in the movie bear so much resemblance to his creations that it amounts to breach of copyright.

The document says: "Plaintiff has been a well-known and successful artist and designer for more than 45 years. Plaintiff is recognised internationally for architectural concepts, stage, furniture and logo design � but particularly for his paintings of unique and original landscapes that feature geological forms not otherwise occurring in art or nature."