A US judge has signed a default judgment finding Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida liable for the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Da Vinci Code blockbuster thriller does not infringe the copyright of a book published in 2000 by another author because the books are not substantially similar, a US appeal court has ruled.

The Da Vinci Code, the blockbuster thriller, does not infringe the copyright of a book published in 2000 by another author because the books are not substantially similar, a federal appeals court says.

The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown triumphed in a New York City court on Friday, when a judge ruled his best-selling novel had not plagiarised another writer's work.

Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code, is being sued for plagiarism in a New York court.