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Franck Le Calvez, a French childrens' book author, has lost his legal suit claiming Disney copied his clownfish Pierrot for the film "Finding Nemo." The court went on to find Le Calvez guilty of fraud and ordered him to pay $79,600 in damages, interest and legal fees as well as the cost of reprinting the court's ruling in three publications of Disney's choosing. Disney, Pixar and French publisher Disney-Hachette Editions will split a $49,600 judgment for damages and interest, with the remaining $30,000 earmarked for legal fees.

Earlier this year the court had ruled that Pierrot and Nemo were similar, but not similar enough to cause confusion in the marketplace. Le Calvez then pursued a second suit which was rejected by the court today.

The book in question was published in late 2002, well after Disney's "Finding Nemo" had begun to be widely visible throughout France via the internet and movie previews, the court maintained. Le Calvez claimed that, while the book was not published until 2002, it had been registered several years earlier.

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