Bibliofemme News
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25/10/2005
Baigent and Leigh sue Da Vinci publisher
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh are suing Random House, the publisher of The Da Vinci Code, for infringement of their ideas.
A High Court hearing will be held next week, followed by a trial next year.
The New Zealand and American authors claim that the main premise of Dan Brown's bestselling novel was lifted from their 1982 nonfiction book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Their book, like Brown's, deals with the history surrounding the mythology of the quest for the Holy Grail.
A spokeswoman for Baigent and Leigh told the BBC that: "The basis of their case is theft of intellectual property.
"There are huge chunks of The Da Vinci Code which they say is lifted from their book."
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was recently reissued through Century, which is part of the Random House group, and the authors are using their profits to fund the action.
The outcome of the case could affect the release of the blockbuster film adaptation of Brown's novel, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, which is due for release next May.
Bibliofemme reviews: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
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