'Da Vinci Code' author exonerated

LONDON — A British judge on Friday cleared The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown of accusations that he copied parts of his best-selling novel from another book. The decision closed the chapter on a case that gripped the literary world.
High Court Justice Peter Smith rejected the claim that Brown breached the copyright of Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, co-authors of the 1982 non-fiction book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. Both books deal with a theory that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene married and had a child, creating a "Holy Bloodline" that survives today. "Today's verdict shows that this claim was utterly without merit, I'm still astonished that these two authors chose to file their suit at all," Brown said in a statement. He added that he was "eager to get back to writing." [More]