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Da Vinci publisher sued
29/10/2005 20:12 - (SA)
London - Two authors are taking Dan Brown's publisher to court in Britain over claims that his best-selling book "The Da Vinci Code" features stolen ideas.
Lawyers acting for Brown and the two plaintiffs, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, met at London's High Court on Thursday to agree on details of the trial scheduled to start on February 27.
Baigent and Leigh are suing publishers Random House, claiming the book lifts ideas from their 1982 non-fiction book, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail.
Their work explores theories that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child and that their blood line continues to the present day.
A similar theme is explored in Brown's novel, which has sold some 25 million copies around the world and is being made into a Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks.
Lawyers for the two sides came to agreement outside court on Thursday on technical details of the case.
A spokesperson for Random House said the parties had agreed that a "substantial part" of the claim would be dropped.
"Random House is delighted with this result, which reinforces its long held contention that this is a claim without merit," the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In August, a US judge ruled that The Da Vinci Code does not infringe on the copyrights of a book published in 2000 by another author.
US District Judge George B Daniels said Dan Brown's book exploring codes hidden in Leonardo Da Vinci's artwork is not substantially similar to Daughter of God, by Lewis Perdue, who had threatened to sue and demand $150m for perceived infringement.
Brown's book "is simply a different story", Daniels said.
- AP
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South Africa
