Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Supreme Court Petitioned to Overturn 8th Circuit’s Holding on Architectural Plans that Upends “Standard Marketing Practices” in Real Estate Industry
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Supreme Court Petitioned to Overturn 8th Circuit’s Holding on Architectural Plans that Upends “Standard Marketing Practices” in Real Estate Industry
Plans, drawings, and related design documents are needed at all stages of a construction project, from early concepts and permitting to site preparation and construction itself. Many professionals in construction and property...more
In January 2024, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced and signed Executive Order 30 on Artificial Intelligence (EO 30), establishing “important safety standards to ensure the responsible, ethical, and transparent use of...more
Wayfarers Chapel, a Rancho Palos Verdes church, sued Malibu wedding chapel Calamigos Ranch on trademark and trade dress infringement grounds, as well as unfair competition. Interestingly, Wayfarers Chapel alleged in their...more
In a September 22 decision, District Judge David J. Novak denied the bulk of a motion to dismiss a suit alleging that a general contractor had infringed an architectural firm’s copyright on design plans for a brewery and...more
The shape of a building can be registered as inherently distinctive trade dress in the United States – if it is distinctive and unusual for buildings of that type – holds the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco - The Luxury Shopping Oasis Emerging in San Francisco’s Struggling Downtown (Wall Street Journal): Although local foot traffic may be down,...more
Foreword - In legal sense, "architectural works" refer to works with aesthetic significance expressed in the form of buildings or structures, which are protected by Copyright Law. However, landmark buildings have public...more
Do design-build contracts allow general contractors to perform as architects? Not directly. As design-build contracts grow in popularity, it's important that general contractors, owners, and architects understand which...more
Should an old cottage be upgraded to the current code by a new owner? When can a building component be “grandfathered?” Who should pay for the code upgrades following a property loss claim? These are common questions...more
Historically, unions have had success organizing the core manual laborers in the construction industry. The formation of the first union of architects at a private-sector architecture firm in the country suggests that union...more
In this episode of The Briefing by the IP Law Blog, Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss the 8th Circuit’s opinion on copyright protection for architectural plans that could uphend “standard marketing practices” in Real...more
The Real Estate and Construction industry may be huge, but ultimately, as with all industries, it comes down to the people who help make it all come together. From time to time, we like to profile some of those people....more
Gould & Ratner presents the next installment of our Construction Interview Series. As a continued effort to keep our clients informed of new building techniques and processes, we will continue to periodically sit down with...more
Friday’s jobs report was not only 200,000 jobs below projections for November, but it marked the fifth straight month of a diminished pace of hiring in the United States and brought urgency to facing the reality that there...more
Dopo un lungo iter di approvazione il 16 luglio 2020 è stato pubblicato in GU n.178 - Suppl. Ordinario n. 24, il DECRETO-LEGGE 16 luglio 2020, n. 76 (il “DL”), in vigore dal 17 luglio, recante “Misure urgenti per la...more
In Matter of Pittsford Canalside Props., LLC v Village of Pittsford Zoning Bd. of Appeals, et al., the Fourth Department held that settlement correspondence between a development firm, Pittsford Canalside Properties, LLC...more
Effective February 20, 2020, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) expanded the requirements of its Façade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP), known previously as Local Law 11. Cooperative and Condominium Boards...more
In the wake of the tragic death of architect Tishman in December 2020 who was killed by falling debris from a brick tower in Midtown, the New York Department of Buildings (DOB) amended its rules governing exterior wall...more
Navigating mixed signals in the construction industry; the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index through September 2019 indicates generally flat but encouraging business conditions. Dated – No. Important – Yes. Why? ...more
In Schmidt v. City of Buffalo Planning Bd., 174 A.D.3d 1413 (4th Dept., July 31, 2019), the petitioner, Terrence Robinson, filed suit to prevent the demolition of an architecturally significant apartment complex, claiming...more
A recent decision from the Supreme Court of Warren County, John Carr v. Village of Lake George Village Board, demonstrates how a simple omission on a site plan approval application can upend an approved project, even though...more
On September 17, 2018, Judge Steven V. Wilson of the federal court of the Central District of California ruled on General Motors’ motion for summary judgment in Falkner v. GM, a copyright action concerning graffiti artists’...more
The dramatic “Spheres” at the new Amazon headquarters in downtown Seattle have joined the Space Needle, downtown Seattle Library, Smith Tower, and Pacific Science Center as architectural icons of the city. The project...more
Last month we blogged about Falkner v. General Motors Co.—a federal court action filed earlier this year that may decide whether graffiti artists can enforce their copyrights in graffiti appearing on publicly-viewable...more