That’s the question being decided by a British court. In an article published by the Times online in London, this lawsuit may even effect the release of the movie by the same name.

The British release of The Da Vinci Code, due on May 19, could be delayed or even halted if a copyright claim by the authors of a non-fiction book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, is upheld.

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who co-wrote the book 22 years ago, claim breach of copyright on the ground that the “architecture” or complex structure of their book — its essential theory — was plagiarised in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

It gets intriguing, complete with a character in Brown’s book who has a striking resemblance to the authors bringing the lawsuit, including an anagram for one.

The authors will point to numerous specific references in Brown’s book, including the character Leigh Teabing, whose name, they say, is a tribute to themselves: Leigh from Richard Leigh and Teabing an anagram of Baigent.

Will Brown’s background of secrecy and conspiracy theories be exposed?

He has spoken in the past of his childhood surrounded by the secrecy of the clandestine clubs of Ivy League universities and Masonic lodges.

Mmm… I wonder if that includes the Owl Club at Hervard.

Could this spell the end for The Da Vinci Code and its claim to fame? Is Brown and his book the product of a lie?

Maybe Jesus rose from the dead after all… “…the truth will set you free.”

We’ll have to see what the judge decides.