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Judge
backs 'Da Vinci Code' author
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By Robert Gearty THE AUTHOR OF "THE DA VINCI CODE" did not break the writer's code, against plagiarism, a Manhattan Federal Court judge ruled today. In a 26 page decision, Judge George Daniels found there is no "substancial similarity" between Dan Brown's 2003 blockbuster and two novels |
by Lewis Perdue, 1999's "Daughter of God" and 1983's "The Da Vinci Legacy." Brown sued last November to stop Perdue from cashing in on the success of "The Da Vinci Code" which has sold more than 25 million copies in 44 languages. After Dan Brown's megahit came out, Perdue reissued his 1983 novel "The Da Vinci Legacy."
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It soon hit the New York Times best-seller list and was optioned to Hollywood. In his countersuit, Perdue accused Brown of plagiarizing his two novels. He sought $150 million in damages from Brown, publisher Random House and divisions of Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures, which are turning "The Da Vinci Code" into a movie with Tom Hanks.
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"We always knew if someone sat down and read the
two books, they would readily conclude that these works are not similar,"
said Brown's attorney Elizabeth McNamara. Reached in Sonoma, Calif., Perdue said he was surprised by the judge's ruling and vowed to appeal. "I think that is one judge's opinion, but the reading
public has a vastly different opinion," he said. |
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