U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms $3.2 Million Award in Architectural Copyright Case
AUSTIN, Texas, November 7, 2012 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has affirmed a $3.2 million award to an Austin, Texas firm in an architectural copyright case.
Last year, a federal jury returned a $3.2 million verdict for Kipp Flores Architects. The jury found that Hallmark Design Homes infringed Kipp Flores Architects’ copyrights by constructing hundreds of houses from copyrighted architectural designs in violation of federal law.
After entry of a judgment based on the jury’s verdict, Hallmark Design Homes appealed, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support it. However, the Court of Appeals disagreed, ruling that the case was “well tried” by United States Magistrate Judge Francis Stacy, and finding no error in the judgment.
According to Louis Bonham, counsel for Kipp Flores Architects, the judgment is one of the largest awards on record in an architectural copyright dispute.
Kipp Flores Architects is represented by attorneys Patrick Zummo, of the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo, in Houston, and Louis Bonham of the Austin office of Osha Liang LLP.
The case is “Kipp Flores Architects, LLC v. Hallmark Design Homes, L.P., et al.,” Appeal No. 13-20011, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Contacts: Louis Bonham, Osha Liang LLP, (512) 480-0667; Patrick Zummo, the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo, (713) 651-0590.
Further Reading:
Texas Lawyer
Architect Magazine
Austin Business Journal
Law 360
Durability + Design
