'The Da Vinci Code' keeps up its winning ways

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There's just no stopping The Da Vinci Code.

A London court ruled Friday that best-selling author Dan Brown and publisher Random House were innocent of hijacking material from Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh.

The trial not only served up a lesson in copyright law, but it also taught us a few things about Code and the people and projects associated with the record-breaker:

*A whiff of wrongdoing can't disrupt sales. The Da Vinci Code is No. 1 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list. Publisher Anchor has just released 5.7million paperback copies, and Doubleday has released an additional 25,000 copies of the hardcover, which was first published in 2003.

"Random House would have preferred not to have this lawsuit and spend money defending the book and Dan Brown, but they've certainly not been hurt by it," says Sara Nelson, editor in chief of Publishers Weekly.

*Even losers can be winners. Baigent's The Jesus Papers made its debut at No. 25 on USA TODAY's list last week. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is No. 58.

"The authors possibly never expected to win," says California attorney Randy Broberg, who specializes in copyright cases. "But even without the trial, they would be riding the coattails of The Da Vinci Code."

*A whiff of wrongdoing can't derail a major movie. With Tom Hanks starring as symbologist Robert Langdon, the Code film remains one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the summer.

Says Jim Kennedy of Sony Pictures Entertainment: "While we were not a party to this lawsuit, we're pleased by this result, and as we've been saying all along, we are proceeding with our plans for the release of the film on May 19."

*Brown didn't act alone. The author has rarely spoken to the media about himself or his books. But details came out about his personal life and his relationship with his wife, Blythe.

Brown, 41, revealed that Blythe, 53, helps with much of the research for his books and said she "was deeply passionate about the sacred feminine" and it was her idea to include the holy bloodline theory, which contends that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child.

Now that the trial is over, Brown says, he'll get back to work. At danbrown.com, he writes: "I'm writing another Robert Langdon thriller -- the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. For the first time, Langdon will find himself embroiled in a mystery on U.S. soil. This new novel explores the hidden history of our nation's capital."

There's no hint on a publication date, though Brown says the book is "not yet near completion."

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