Copying house plans

COPYINGHOUSEPLANS

ADAMMIZERA*
LEGER
ROBICRICHARD,LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
Inarecentdecision,theCourduQuébecrenderedadecisiononthecopyingof
houseplans.TheCourtdeterminedthattheplansinvolvedinthiscaselacked
originalityand,forthisreason,couldnotbenefitfromcopyrightprotection.The
defendantsthusavoidedanyliability.
Inthiscase,theDefendants,YvesJeansonandBrigitteBrunet,hadvisitedin1998
amodel-homebuiltbythePlaintiff,ConstructionDenisDesjardinsInc.Aftertheir
visit,inspring2002,thecoupledecidedtoapproachConstructionDenisDesjardins
Inc.fortheconstructionofahousesimilartotheonevisitedin1998onalotthat
theyhadrecentlypurchased.Afterhavingseentheproposedplansandarchitectural
specificationspreparedbythePlaintiff,thecoupledecidedtocontractoutthe
preparationworktoanotherarchitectandgavehimthePlaintiff’splansandpictures
oftheoriginalhouse.Fortechnicalreasons,thenewhouseplansharedseveral
similaritieswiththeoriginalmodel,butwasinversed.In2003,thePlaintiffrealized
thatthenewhousebeingbuiltcorrespondedtohisinitialmodel-homebutwas
inversed,andthusdecidedtobringthecoupletocourtforlossofprofitson
constructionofthenewhouseandforexemplarydamages.
However,theCourtdeterminedthatthearrangementoftherooms,theirlocationand
sizedidnotconferanoriginalcharactertothePlaintiff’shouseplans.Instead,they
representedacompromisebetweendifferentfactorsincludingbudgetaryconstraints,
fashionabletendencies,differenttastes,physicalconstraints,etc.Consequently,the
Courtconcludedthattherewasanabsenceofcopyrightintheplansfortheinitial
model-homedevelopedbythePlaintiff.ConstructionDenisDesjardinsInc.thuslost
theircase.
Althoughadditionalanalysiswasnotnecessaryinordertosettlethecase,theCourt
alsodeterminedthatthecouplehadclearlycopiedtheplaintiff’splans.Indeed,there
wasclearproofthatthecouplehadobviouslyimitatedthePlaintiff’splans.Among
otherelementsofproof,thearchitectfortheinversedhouseplanrecognizedhaving
receivedcopiesoftheoriginalplansfromthecouple.Thesecopiesincludedacover-




























































CIPS,2008.
*WithLEGERROBICRICHARD,LLP.amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-
markAgents.PublishedintheFall2008Newsletterofthefirm(Vol.12,No.3).Publication068.097.

2
uponabottomcornerofoneplanwhichclearlyhidthenameandcoordinatesofthe
Plaintiffontheoriginalcopy.Consequently,ifthePlaintiff’splanhadbeen
determinedtobeoriginal,theCourtmayhavefoundthatthecouplewasinfringing
thePlaintiff’scopyright.UnfortunatelyforthePlaintiffinthiscase,theprinciplethat
“copying,doesnotnecessarilymeanstealing”applies…
FormoredetailsonthisdecisionseeConstructionDenisDesjardinsinc.v.Jeanson,
2008QCCQ4326.

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