HOUSE PLANS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS!
All the plans contained in the David & Goliath Builders, DG Remodeling and Avid Home website are protected by federal copyright law. Just as there has been copyright protection in place to safeguard the original works of authors of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, in 1990, copyright protection was extended to include architectural works. With respect to new home construction, the federal copyright laws protect the copying of all or any portion of a home design. Protection is found in two different areas:
1.) the protection of the design plans (including blueprints and floor plan layouts)
2.) the protection of the completed structure and this extends to its overall interior and exterior appearance.
The federal copyright laws prevent anyone, other that the copyright owner, from reproducing, modifying, or reusing the house plans or home design without permission of the copyright owner.
It is illegal to copy house plans or floor plans from any publication, house plan book, CD-ROM or the Internet. It is a common misunderstanding to believe that by making a certain percentage of changes to or redrawing a floor plan is permissible or a way around the federal copyright law. If you find a home plan that you like, YOU MUST PURCHASE THE PLAN FROM THE COPYRIGHT OWNER.
The 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, which includes all profits from the sale of any home built from an infringing design. The copyright law also allows for the recovery of statutory damages, which may be as high as $150,000 for each infringement. Finally, the infringer may be required to pay legal fees which often exceed the damages.
This means that while you are welcome to browse the David & Goliath Builders, DG Remodeling an Avid Homes website and print out information, you need to remember that all the information contained here is for educational purposes only. You MAY NOT COPY ANY PORTION of these plans. They are protected by Federal Copyright Law.
