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The author of "The Da Vinci Code" sat in a London courtroom on Monday to hear the start of a legal challenge by two historians who claim he stole their ideas when penning his blockbuster novel.
Pitting history against art, Dan Brown is accused of using the men's non-fiction book, "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", in devising his fictional plot of conspiracy and death in the Catholic church.
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who co-wrote the 1982 title with Henry Lincoln, are suing their own publishers, Random House -- which also publishes "The Da Vinci Code" -- alleging that Brown's novel draws heavily on their work.
The men are expected to seek an injunction at London's High Court preventing further infringement of their copyright.
If successful, the case could bar Random House from publishing Brown's book and affect the British release of a star-studded film version of the story.
Lawyers representing the publishing firm are expected to argue that the impact of such an injunction would damage the art of writing itself.
They will likely note that writers have rehashed plots, themes and ideas from each other for centuries, The Observer newspaper reported at the weekend.
Quoting one literary figure, it said apart from "A Midsummer Night's Dream", every one of William Shakespeare's plays is based on another source.
Brown arrived in court on Monday for the opening of the case. He sat at the opposite end of a court bench from the two other writers.
For its part, Random House regretted the argument had been taken to court.
"Random House takes no pleasure in defending a legal action that it believes is without merit and we are confident that we will prevail," Gail Rebuck, chief executive of the Random House Group said in a statement.
Baigent and Leigh's book -- also a bestseller -- tackles theories that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married, had a child, and the blood line continues to the present day, with the Catholic Church aware of the discovery and trying to suppress it.
Brown's 2003 novel -- a blend of action, suspense and conspiracy theories -- explores similar themes about the Vatican covering up the true story of Jesus.
It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and earned the American 45 million pounds (66 million euros, 78.5 million dollars) in one year, making him one of the world's richest writers.
The novel has been translated into 44 languages.
On top of the legal challenge which is expected to last up to two weeks, the book has drawn criticism from the Roman Catholic Church and historians.
The court case will also likely clarify the extent to which an author can use other people's research under existing copyright laws.
Brown acknowledges the theories of "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" in his novel. The villain is called Sir Leigh Teabing, which bears a remarkable resemblance to Baigent and Leigh's surnames.
Lincoln, the third co-author of the title, is not participating in the legal action.
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AFPEntertainment-Britain-US-books-court-DaVinci
AFP 271253 GMT 02 06
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