Legal action as amarketing tool

There’s discussion on the chronicles network about the Dan Brown lawsuit over plagiarism claims.

The simple basis is that the authors of a book - Holy Blood, Holy Grail, published by Random House - are taking Dan Brown to court over his book - the Da Vinci Code, published by Random House.

They claim that he stole their ideas.

However, it’s worth underlining that ideas are neither subject to copyright or patent, so far as I’m aware.

The case has come to court just before the movie release, and members pick up on the impact this will have on publicity.

Is Random House simply using the legal system as a marketing tool?

Only Random House can answer that, but it does seem awfully convenient that the case will not simply generate additional sales attention for the Da Vinci Code, but also help potentially increase sales for another of their books.

Tell me if you see “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” stocked up in the bookshops ready. :)