Comments on: Can you steal a theory?

By: Lynn Raye Harris

Lynn Raye Harris — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 21:15:00 +0000

It’ll be interesting to follow, Millenia. Since England’s libel laws are so different from ours, I’m wondering about their copyright laws. It’s hard to believe this lawsuit has a chance, but who knows? It’s about money. Even if they lose, their sales have already gone up. Heck, now I want to read the book!

By: Millenia Black

Millenia Black — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 07:22:00 +0000

I agree, Lynn. I think this lawsuit is all about trying to get a piece of the financial windfall generated by this book. I don’t know the case details, but I bet they lose.

It is interesting, though, that the court hasn’t already granted a motion to dismiss….

By: Lynn Raye Harris

Lynn Raye Harris — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 06:39:00 +0000

You know what’s amazing, Cyn, is that I’ve read about how there are a lot of people who don’t realize that Da Vinci Code is fiction. I’ve even had people tell me it’s all wrong and I say, “But it’s fiction,” and they just don’t get that.

Oooh, thanks for the Vonnegut tip, Terry. I haven’t read Cat’s Cradle. I think these guys are motivated by money, naturally. And it’s not hurting DB’s sales either. If the novel had only had modest numbers and then sank into midlist obscurity, no one would be saying anything. But let the guy make a fortune, and they’re coming out of the woodwork.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 23:35:00 +0000

Great post, Lynn. The patent courts figured this out decades ago. You can patent a specific process but you cannot patent an idea. Period.

There was a great short story by Kurt Vonnegut in, I believe, Cat’s Cradle. In it, music copyright was so tight that composers could claim title to sequences of 2 notes. Music died.

By: Cynthia E. Bagley

Cynthia E. Bagley — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:05:00 +0000

I am pretty upset about this too. It means that if you are a fiction writer and you do your homework then you can be sued for doing your homework. This is not right.

Someone is mixing their apples and oranges. Fiction is not non-fiction. I would be on the other side IF Dan Brown had written a non fiction book.

He did not.