POSSESSED: An Ottawa, Canada computer programmer has...

POSSESSED: An Ottawa, Canada computer programmer has filed a lawsuit against singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan claiming that her song “Possession,” about an obsessive fan, is based on letters he sent her over a two-year period. Uwe Vandrei is asking for $250,000 to compensate for “damages for breach of confidence and breach of moral rights” as well as acknowledgment from McLachlan of his role in the song, which is on McLachlan’s latest album, “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.”

Vandrei’s attorney did not return calls from Pop Eye, but Vandrei himself has posted a lengthy letter on the Internet computer service elaborating his claims and admitting that he is a “fervent” fan of the singer. But he argues that the feelings expressed in the letters to McLachlan were not meant for the public.

Terry McBride, McLachlan’s Vancouver-based manager and the president of Nettwerk Records, says that the charges are groundless.

“This guy’s trying to gain fame and access to Sarah,” he says. “It’s a pretty bad situation. He’s an admitted fanatical fan trying to say this song’s been written about him when it’s not.”