When you were at school and you thought someone was copying you, disputes were easily settled by tippexing a cock and balls onto the offender’s schoolbag. Out of school, you take them to court instead.
That’s what has happened with The Da Vinci Code – the court thing, not the cock and balls thing – after two writers claimed that Dan Brown nicked all their ideas for the book. The Da Vinci Code court case has ended, and now the judge is going to mull over the verdict in his wiggy head for a bit.
Almost a month ago, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh took Dan Brown and Random House to court over claims that Dan Brown ripped off a load of their book
The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail for The Da Vinci Code (Books) – a book (and
soon to be movie) that has turned Dan Brown into a hugely wealthy man,
just for suggesting that Jesus painted the Mona Lisa with some of his
own blood while on holiday with Tom Hanks. Something along those lines,
anyway – you can only read so much of a book in Waterstones
before the staff chase you out.
Over the course of the Da Vinci Code court case, we learnt that the baddie in The Da Vinci Code, Sir Leigh Teabing, is
an anagram of Leigh and Baigent; that the judge needed to take a week off
so that he could have a quick read of The Da Vinci Code; and that Michael Baigent had exaggerated the books’ similarities in an interview.
Summing up the Da Vinci Code case in court yesterday on behalf of
Baigent and Leigh, Jonathan Raynor James QC attacked Dan Brown’s
behaviour throughout his time in court:
"He had
almost no recollection of matters that related to issues of timing. He
would struggle to recall a year, was rarely able to
recall a month. His general attitude in cross-examination was
unco-operative… His evidence should be viewed with deep suspicion."
We don’t know about his evidence – Dan Brown’s hair should certainly be viewed with deep suspicion. It creeps us out. The
judge, Mr Justice Peter Smith, said that he’ll try and bring the Da Vinci
Code case to some kind of conclusion at some point before Easter. The
verdict to the case could affect the release of The Da Vinci Code movie
later this year. No bad thing – if the film is banned, maybe Tom Hanks
would be forced to finally consider our script for the long-awaited Turner And Hooch sequel: Turner And Hooch On The Exploding Planet Of Robot Prostitutes.
Read more:
Authors wait for Da Vinci ruling – BBC
[story by Stuart Heritage]
Anu says
You funny fuck!