Court Case Arguments Conclude

Yesterday brought the in-court proceedings to a close. The judge in the copyright infringement case against Da Vinci Code publisher Random House will now retire for several weeks to consider the evidence.

From the prosecuting attorney's closing statements, delivered on Monday:

[Dan Brown's] evidence should be approached with deep suspicion. He had almost no recollection of matters that related to issues of timing. He would struggle to recall a year, was rarely able to recall a month. His general attitude in cross-examination was unco-operative. ... The evidence of Blythe Brown was of fundamental importance to this case. It was crucial in revealing the dependency on The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail and the extent to which she relied upon it. Perhaps that explains why she was not produced [as a witness]. ... This is unsatisfactory. [Dan Brown] has always known her role in the creation of The Da Vinci Code.

From the judge:

If [Dan Brown]'s trying to hide the fact that he's using 'H.B.H.G.' in the synopsis, what's the point of shouting it out from the rooftops in the book?

MORE HERE and HERE
Ireland Online and New York Times, 20.03.06