There are more problems for the Montreal animation company Cinar, best known for producing the hit TV series Caillou.
Cinar is among four companies found guilty of plagiarism in Quebec Superior court this week.
An artist, named Claude Robinson, had presented the defendants with an idea for a cartoon.
The cartoon's main character, which bears a striking resemblance to Robinson, later ended up in a Cinar production.
Robinson was awarded $5.2 million in a case that dates back to 1994.
Cinar has previously been hit by financial scandals and the death of co-founder Micheline Charest from botched plastic surgery.
