'The Da Vinci Code' author Brown shocked at plagiarism allegations

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2006

LONDON (AFP) — Best-selling author Dan Brown broke his silence when he dismissed as "completely fanciful" claims that he stole ideas for his blockbuster "The Da Vinci Code".

Taking the stand at England's High Court in London, Brown was defending his publisher Random House against allegations that his 2003 novel lifts from "The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail", itself a Random House bestseller, published in 1982.

In the standing-room only 10th-floor courtroom packed with reporters and onlookers, Brown smiled and looked relaxed in a dark blazer with a blue shirt and yellow tie.

In a statement put before the court, Brown said he was stunned by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claims that he stole ideas from their book.

"I have been shocked at their...