Steer Clear of Copyright Issues When Handling Floor Plans

Construction and copyright – not two words that you would instantly relate to each other, right? Admittedly, copyright infringement is the last thought that comes to one’s mind when thinking about construction designs, especially floor plans. One may be caught completely off guard with such information while trying to remodel their home or office, in case they are unaware of the existence of copyright laws.

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Say for example, you buy a new house. It might not be enormous in size but you like the way in which the living area opens into a small balcony and the little reading area just down the corridor. An ever helpful architect on the premises explains every one of your queries regarding the floor plan. Later on, you hand the floor plan to your architect for a remodeling work and he comes up with a design of your liking. And it is just then that you are served with a lawsuit charging you and your contractor with copyright infringement on the original property’s floor plan. Compensation of possible damages might also be demanded.

In order to avoid landing oneself in such unfavorable situation, it is better to have a general idea about architectural copyright laws. Australian law boasts of the most comprehensive coverage of floor plans. The Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act of 2000 amends the Australian Copyright Act, 1911, thereby; providing for individual creators with a couple of new moral rights. Namely, these are the rights of attribution and integrity of authorship.

These rights emphasize that existing copyright owners will receive attribution as authors of their work. They must be identified according to the specifications that they set. These owners are entitled to exercise their rights against false credits of their work. They may also do so if their work is subjected to derogatory treatment like mutilation, distortion, alteration, or anything that is detrimental to the authors’ honour or reputation.

More detail can be found on the website of the Australian Copyright Council at www.copyright.org.au. Their information sheet is available here