A Massachusetts federal judge dismissed a copyright infringement case brought against The DaVinci Code author Dan Brown by writer Jack Dunn.
Dunn, a Holyoke, Mass., resident who wrote a book called The Vatican Boys, sued Brown for copying the “literary structure, patterns, characters, settings, thematic expression, timing and narrative sequence of many events” in his book and the “development and interplay of key characters and objects.” Dunn v. Brown, No. 06-30134 (D. Mass.) Dunn also named several corporations involved in publishing The DaVinci Code or creating or distributing the movie based on the book, including: Random House Inc.; Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Sony Pictures Releasing Corp.; and Imagine Films Entertainment. Dunn estimated damages and interest to exceed $400 million, based on the defendants’ profits on the book and movie.
