Important Message From the Council of the Publishers

1. Home plans are copyrighted! Just like a book, movies, and songs, federal copyright laws protect the intellectual property of architects and home designers by giving copyright protection to home plans designs.  This legal protection exists to protect all parties.  The copyright laws prevent anyone from reproducing, modifying, or reusing the plans or design without permission from the copyright owner.
2. Do not copy designs or floor plan from any publication, electronic media or existing home. It is illegal to copy home designs found in any plan book, CD-ROM, or on the Internet.  It is a common misunderstanding that it is permissible to copy, adapt, or change a floor plan or design found in any media.  It is not.  It is also illegal to copy a constructed home that is protected by copyright, even if you have never seen the plans for the home.  If a particular home plan or existing home is desired, a set of plans must be purchased from an authorized source.
3. Do not use plans to build more than one house. You, as the original purchaser of plans, are licensed to build a single home from the plans.  Building more than one home from the plans is an infringement of the designer’s copyright.  The purchase of a multiple set package of plans is for the construction of a single home only.  The purchase of additional sets of plans does not give you the right to construct more than one home.
4. Plans and blueprints cannot be copied or reproduced. Plans or blueprints cannot be copied or reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.  If additional sets are required for estimating or construction, please contact us for additional sets at a nominal cost.  Copy shops and blue-printers are prohibited from making copies of these plans.
5. Plans and blueprints cannot be redrawn. Plans cannot be modified or redrawn without first obtaining the copyright owner’s permission.  With your purchase of plans, you are licensed to make non-structural changes by “red-lining” the puchased plans.  “Redlined” plans are still copyrighted and cannot be copied.
6. Modified designs cannot be reused. Even if you are licensed to make modifications to a copyrighted design, the modified design is not free from the original designer’s copyright.  The sale or reuse of the modivied design is prohibited.  Also, be aware that any modification to plans relieves the designer from liability for design defects and voids all warranties expressed or implied.
7. Who is responsible for copyright infringement? Any party who participates in a copyright violation may be responsible including the purchasers, designers, architects, engineers, drafters, home owners, builders, contractors, sub-contractors, copy shops, blue-printers, developers, and real estate agencies.  It does not matter whether or not the individual knows that a violation is being committed.  You’ve heard it before; ignorance of the law is not a valid defense!  Refuse to be a party to any illicit copying or use of designs, derivative works, prints, or design features.
8. Please respect home design copyrights. In the event of any suspected violation of a copyright, or if there is any uncertainty about the plans purchased, the publisher, architect, designer, or the Council of Publishing Home Designers should be contacted before proceeding.  Rewards are sometimes offered for information about home design copyright infringement.

Penalties for infringement

Penalties for violating a copyright may be severe.  The responsible parties are required to pay actual damages caused by the infringement (which may be substantial), plus any profits made by the infringer.  The copyright law also allows for the recovery of statutory damages, which may be as high as $100,000 for each infringement.  Finally, the infringer may be required to pay legal fees, which often exceed the damages.