The majority of people do not give this attention, but did you know it’s easy to get sued when selecting the design for your home?
It’s true…you may have been told you only need to change a design by 20% to avoid the copyright infringement… but nothing could be further from the truth.
Here’s how many people fall into this trap: they receive a free drawing from a home builder and then want to make sure aren’t getting ripped off, so they decide to get other builders to quote it.
The trouble is, once they have shown the design to another builder (even if the new builder created a completely distinctive different option) …
If they use any of those ideas, it’s classified as copyright infringement.
Hard to believe, right? And it gets worse. Believe it or not… Click Here
The Builder That Owns The Design Can Sue And Even Halt Construction On A Project That’s Already Underway
This may lead to a massive cost blowout/s and you will be liable for. Depending on which country you are based. For instance, the Australian Copyright Council goes as far as to say this:
“If you decide not to build from that plan, it is advisable not to show that plan to anyone else you might subsequently ask to draw a new plan for you. If the second person does see the earlier plan there may be an inference that person has consciously or subconsciously copied original elements of the earlier plan.”
So how do you avoid this situation from occurring?
First, while you may be excited about getting the finalised design for your new home… Don’t do it.
Instead, you must decide on a home builder before you begin the design process.
- Do your homework.
- Talk to people.
- Check online reviews.
- Meet with a builder and ask them lots of questions.
Remember, it’s worth taking the time to do this as choosing the right home builder over the wrong one can save you a ton of headaches later.
When you finally decide on a new home builder, make sure you choose one that does both design and construct- comparatively than just one who simply quotes on other people’s plans.
Click Here to find out The 7 Things you must ask before signing your building contract
