Cover Sticker Defuses Doubleday, Nelson Row

by Lynn Garrett with Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 2/26/2004

Thomas Nelson has avoided possible legal problems with Doubleday by placing a sticker on the cover of Nelson’s forthcoming Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone’s Asking by Darrell Bock, a theological critique of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel. Nelson plans to release its book in mid-May.

In response to a cease-and-desist letter from Katherine Trager, general counsel for Doubleday parent company Random House, Nelson has added a sticker to its cover that reads “A Critique of the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.” In her letter, Trager asserted, “The title of Breaking is confusingly similar to the title of Da Vinci. Neither Doubleday nor Dan Brown authorized Thomas Nelson’s use of this title. Therefore, we demand that you immediately change the title of Breaking so that there is no likelihood of consumer confusion.

Random spokesperson Stuart Applebaum said that with the addition of the sticker, the company “has withdrawn its objections to publication.” Applebaum said the sticker met Random’s goal of eliminating consumer confusion over books related to The Da Vinci Code. “We want to make it clear these books don’t have the endorsement of Doubleday or Dan Brown,” Applebaum said. He told PW Random will “continue to monitor relevant publications until we are satisfied that there is no opportunity for confusion between Dan Brown’s book and other titles.