News and Press Releases

Coats And Bennett, PLLC, Wins Judgment In Architectural Rights Copyright Infringement Case

Details

Created on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 18:41

CARY, N.C. – Coats and Bennett, PLLC, an intellectual property law firm, has announced that litigators Anthony Biller and Emily Haas won a judgment in favor of James & Associates Residential Designers LLC of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and its owner, in an architectural rights copyright infringement case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Elite Concepts filed its complaint in August 2010, alleging that defendants infringed on Elite’s copyrights to certain residential house plans. In October 2010, James & Associates filed their answer, denying all liability and defending itself on the grounds of license and independent creation. While James & Associates complied with the federal rules for discovery and trial deadlines, Elite Concepts did not. After James & Associates moved for judgment and after several warnings, the Court dismissed the case, with prejudice, as a sanction against Elite Concepts for failure to comply with Court deadlines and disclosure obligations.

“We are pleased with the ruling and that we could assist James & Associates,” said Haas. “It does serve as a reminder of the importance of retaining intellectual property counsel experienced with the demands and procedures for prosecuting and defending infringement claims in federal court.