Proof That Copyrighting Your Work Is Important
The law provides creators a myriad of opportunities for protecting themselves and .jpg)
their innovations. We’ve written before and kept our readers abreast of the opportunities to copyright work and the steps the U.S. Copyright Office is taking to ensure an easy process for engineers, architects, and other design professionals to protect their rights. Having a registered copyright on your design opens the door to protections under the federal copyright act which ads another option that you and your attorney have in case someone uses your design without permission.
We realize that harping on this matter likely won’t convince you that it is in your best interest, which is why we are happy to be able to provide you with proof that it may become necessary.
This recent complaint, filed on October 24, details an interesting scenario. The plaintiff is an architect who designed a single family home in connection with a sub-division development in the Chicago suburbs. The general contractor allegedly then took those plans and used them on a house in a different subdivision without the plaintiff’s approval. The plaintiff brought a cause of action for statutory damages against those believed to be infringing his copyright and has requested an injunction from the court to stop the practice.
The lesson is especially important for those drafting plans for use on projects that could easily be turned around and built somewhere else such as single-family homes and smaller condominium projects. With the minimal fee for filing and obtaining copyright, it makes sense to pay the fee and get this added protection.
