A MASSACHUSETTS man has been accused of fraud and perjury by prosecutors for allegedly back-dating drawings that he used as evidence to sue DreamWorks.

    Jayme Gordon, 51, took out a lawsuit in 2011 against the company behind the “Kung Fu Panda” films, claiming he had invented the title character.

    Prosecutors say Gordon created his scheme after seeing a trailer for the first film in the series in 2008. His lawyer, Robert Griffin, said his client “maintains his innocence.”

    Authorities allege Gordon’s idea was to make it look like the film was based on sketches he had made for a story he had already written, entitled “Panda Power.”

    He filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against DreamWorks and suggested a settlement of US$12m, which the company rejected.

    Authorities said Gordon had deleted evidence on his computer that he would have been required to hand over under court rules.

    It is alleged Gordon had traced some of his panda drawings from a “Lion King” coloring book published in 1996, dating his own drawings from 1993 and 1994.

    Gordon is charged with four counts of wire fraud and three counts of perjury. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to 20 years in jail.

    (SD-Agencies)