Da Vinci Code was original

London

Novelist Dan Brown did not steal the plot of The Da Vinci Code from an earlier, nonfiction book, a British judge ruled last week. Historians Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh had sued the publisher of the best-selling novel, saying it ripped off their 1982 book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail. The judge said the historical themes were too general to be protected by copyright. “I’m still astonished that these two authors chose to file their suit at all,” said Brown. He’s in for another surprise: A Russian art historian said this week that he plans to sue Brown for stealing his theory that the face of the

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