Tell me what happens when a hunter is caught without a valid hunting license. This is widely known as unlawful and the consquences can be extremely severe. The same goes for building a new house without a “home plan license” which is unlawful and protected by U.S. Copyright Law. A home plan purchase gives you a “license to build” that design. There MUST be a house plan license in place before the new construction begins. This license should be considered a very important element for that construction project.
Many builders and individuals take a plan book or internet print out to a local draftsman or architect to have it “redrawn” with minor or major changes. Some folks believe that if a plan is changed a certain percentage it isn’t infringement. WRONG! We still don’t know where this idea originated. THIS IS COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. There are parties throughout the US that go from city to city, town to town and one permit department to another checking home plans on file; past and present This is all public record and easily accessible. They also drive around new subdivisions to locate new construction; from small homes to high-end custom. A phone call is made and when there is no “license” in place they proceed with collection. Believe me, they have an interest and are paid very well for finding “infringements”. FYI -Willful infringement court penalties are up to $150,000 plus loss of profits and attorney fees.One infringement can put a builder out of business and if applicable affect the homeowner and possibly other institutions related to that project. The last thing we want to see is one of our builders sued for Federal Copyright Infringement because he or she built a house without a home plan “license to build”. This is the case throughout the country with builders who build from a surplus set of house plans, from a book, an internet print or simply walking through a house with no plans at all. You don’t want to be involved in a U.S. Copyright lawsuit; which is a very serious situation. If you have questions feel free to contact us at 870.931.5777.
