What legalities are involved in using home plans?
If you are preparing to purchase plans to build a new home, you need to know how you can legally use those plans. Home plans are copyrighted. Just like books, movies and songs, federal copyright laws protect the intellectual property of architects and home designers. Don’t copy designs or floor plans from any publication, electronic medium or existing home. Don’t use plans to build more than one house — the original purchaser is licensed to build a single home from the plans. Plans and blueprints cannot be redrawn without first obtaining the copyright owner’s permission. If you need to make changes in the design, you must purchase a reproducible set of plans. Even so, modified designs cannot be reused — the original designer still holds the copyright on the modified design. Anyone who participates in copyright infringement may be responsible, and penalties can be severe. The responsible parties are required to pay actual damages caused by the infringement (which may be substantial) plu
