Mitnick movie draws copyright lawsuit

Jonathan Littman, author of a 1996 book about hacker legend Kevin Mitnick called The Fugitive Game, is suing the Disney and Miramax movie studios for using parts of his work for an upcoming film without his permission. The film is based on a 1996 book called Takedown by reporter John Markoff who originally covered the Mitnick story for the New York Times. Littman alleges that screenwriter John Danza "lifted themes, scenes, dialogues, and virtually the entire Part I section of The Fugitive Game for the final shooting script." The studios have declined to comment on the suit. ®