Dan Brown is no longer a plagiarist

HONORIS CAUSA

The US Supreme Court rejected the appeal of the writer Lewis Perdue, who accused the author of The Da Vinci Code of plagiarism.

In the lawsuit, Lewis Perdue argued that Brown used elements from his 2000 novel "Daughter of God," particularly the idea that the Catholic Church was allegedly hiding the feminine nature of the Godhead from its parishioners. Perdue sought $150 million in damages, as well as stopping production of the film and sales of Brown's book. Neither the federal nor the US appellate courts agreed with Perdue's arguments. According to the Supreme Court, the two novels are not similar to each other, and Dan Brown did not violate anyone's copyright. Dan Brown previously won a plagiarism case. London's High Court has dismissed a claim by writers Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh who claimed Brown stole the idea for their best-selling book Holy Blood and Holy Grail, which argued that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married. , had a child and that their descendants still live on our planet.

WALKING THROUGH

Children were stolen from the carriage

Spanish artist Francisco Goya's painting "Children with a Cart", insured for $1 million, was stolen while being transported from Ohio to New York.

The painting belongs to the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio. She was taken to the exhibition “Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The circumstances of the theft, which occurred in the Scranton (Pennsylvania) area, have not been disclosed. It is only known that the canvas was in the car of a company specializing in the transportation of works of art. The insurance company offered a reward of $50 thousand for information about the possible whereabouts of the painting. Experts note that the painting cannot be sold on the open market.

WITH A CLAIMS FOR LIFE

Shadow on the fence

Members of the British rock band Procol Harum are suing over their hit song.

Gary Brooker (left) doesn't want to share even snippets with Matthew Fisher (right)
Photo: AP

Rockers Procol Harum must appear in court for a hearing over the copyright of their 1967 hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale". For almost 40 years, the rights to the composition, which brought the group worldwide popularity, belonged to vocalist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid. However, now the team's keyboard player Matthew Fisher claims that he is the author of the song's characteristic organ passage and demands that part of the copyright to the hit be returned to him.
Brooker and Reid do not agree with this formulation of the question. "Keith and I wrote 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' before Matthew joined the band," says Brooker. "I'm shocked and dismayed that Matthew, who we've worked with so well, one day started saying that his role in 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' was something more than the role of a musician and only now he claims to be the author of this composition." Matthew Fisher's lawyer says time is not of the essence: "My client has always maintained that he wrote these sections of the melody."

FROM THE HAMMER

Points earned

Sunglasses that belonged to Hollywood actor Steve McQueen were sold at auction for $70,000.

Steve McQueen's blue-eyed glasses will help his widow see old age in a rosy light

The auction, which featured about 200 lots associated with the famous film actor, took place in Los Angeles. According to representatives of the Bonhams auction house, which organized the auction, the sunglasses in which McQueen appears in one of the episodes of the film “The Thomas Crown Affair” were purchased for $70.2 thousand by a buyer who wished to keep his name secret. Other items that sold for record prices included McQueen's 1937 Croker motorcycle. The rarity went under the hammer for $276.5 thousand - the largest amount ever paid at auction for motorcycles. In total, during the auction organized by McQueen's widow, lots totaling $2.9 million were sold. Steve McQueen is a famous Hollywood actor of the 1960s and 1970s, who played in such films as “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape” and “Bullitt.” ".

IT WILL NOT SEEM A LITTLE

Roman Abramovich strengthened his nerves by $1 million

According to The Daily Mail, Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich was seen at the Austrian Lanzerhof health center.

Roman Abramovich gains self-confidence through special wellness procedures

The complex's manager, Andreas Wieser, declined to comment on Abramovich's stay, but an anonymous employee of the center, quoted by journalists, said that the owner of the Chelsea football club had been prescribed a number of procedures to "relieve nervous tension." According to the publication, Abramovich occupied an entire wing of Lanserhof, hired about 30 specialists and stayed at the center for 10 days, paying about £600 thousand for accommodation and treatment. Journalists believe that the need to “relieve tension” is related to Abramovich’s divorce proceedings, which, according to unconfirmed information, is being prepared by his wife Irina, as well as with rumors about his romantic relationship with the Russian model Daria Zhukova.
The column is hosted by Anna Rabina

When preparing the materials, information from newsru.com, lenta.ru, @music was used.

Magazine "Kommersant Money" No. 46 dated November 20, 2006, p. 128

Authors:

Anna Rabina