REEL NEWS:High concepts can cause all kinds of problems for movie-makers. How do you copyright one clean idea? Such issues are about to be raised in an American courthouse.

Harlan Ellison, legendary science-fiction author, is suing the makers of In Time,a new film starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, for robbing the central plot of his story Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman.

In Timeimagines a world in which every citizen is allotted a certain number of years to live and must pay for any breathing time beyond that.

Ellison claims the picture – directed by Andrew Niccol of Gattacafame – could jeopardise plans to flog his story to Hollywood.