Princeton Group Sued by Keystone Builders for Architectural Copyright Infringement and Breach of Contract

Indianapolis, Indiana – Copyright lawyers for Keystone Builders Resource Group, Inc., and Keystone-Indianapolis, LLC, both of Indianapolis, have filed a lawsuit alleging that Princeton Group, Inc., Princeton Homes, Inc., and their manager Greg Allen, all of Greenwood, IN, as well as Irma Jobst and Trent Bunch, both of Indianapolis, infringed an architectural work and technical drawings, titled THE BIRMINGHAM, which have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

The plaintiffs are collectively engaged in the business of creating and marketing architectural and technical drawings and constructing and selling single-family residential homes, including a model called “The Birmingham” which is reflected in the asserted copyrighted drawings. The complaint states that, after contracting with Keystone-Indianapolis for the construction of a home based on the design for “The Birmingham” and obtaining a complete set of the home’s plans, the defendants Jobst and Bunch supplied the plans to Princeton Group and/or Princeton Homes, who built and sold substantially similar homes. In addition to copyright infringement, the plaintiffs bring causes of action for breach of contract and interference with a contractual relationship.

This case has been assigned to Judge Sarah Evans Barkerand then-Magistrate Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson in the Southern District of Indiana, and assigned case no. 1:10-cv-00575-SEB-JMS.

Practice Tip: Copyright protection extends to any architectural work created on or after December 1, 1990, but architectural designs embodied in buildings constructed prior to that date are not eligible for copyright protection.Complaint – Keystone v. Princeton

Further information about this case is as follows:

Filed: May 7, 2010 as 1:2010cv00575 Updated: May 10, 2010 22:45:34

Plaintiffs: KEYSTONE – INDIANAPOLIS, LLC and KEYSTONE BUILDERS RESOURCE GROUP, INC.

Defendants: IRMA JOBST, J. GREG ALLEN, PRINCETON GROUP, INC., PRINCETON HOMES, INC. and TRENT BUNCH

Judge: Sarah Evans Barker

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Seventh Circuit > Indiana > Southern District Court