Home Builder’s Floor Plan Copyright Win in ‘Troll’ Suit Upheld

An architectural design company the Seventh Circuit labeled a “copyright troll” couldn’t convince the court to revive infringement claims it brought against Signature Construction Inc. over residential floor plans.

Design Basics LLC accused Illinois-based Signature Construction and related companies of copying several of its floor plans for suburban homes. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision clearing Signature Construction.

Because Design Basics’ copyright protection is “thin,” Signature Construction’s design would need to be virtually identical for there to be infringement, the court said.

“That standard is not satisfied here, so we affirm,” the ...