PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh kitchen and bath design company alleges a Bridgeville homebuilder used photos of its designs without authorization.
Kitchen and Bath Concepts of Pittsburgh LLC filed a complaint on May 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Eddy Homes Inc. alleging copyright infringement and unfair competition.
According to the complaint, the defendants constructed a home in McMurray and the plaintiff was hired by the homeowners to design and construct all of the home's interior spaces in April 2013.
The plaintiff holds Eddy Homes Inc. responsible because in October 2015, the defendant allegedly published photos of the plaintiff's designs of the McMurray home in the periodical Kitchen and Bath Design News without the plaintiff's permission. The suit states the article also credits Cristina Palamides, defendant's design coordinator, and that such photos were also displayed on defendant’s website as well as several popular social media websites.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendant for all damages sustained in an amount to be determined in trial, permanent injunction against the use of all photographs or reproductions of the interior of the home without plaintiff's express consent, and such further relief as the court deems necessary and proper. It is represented by Suzanne M. Roberts of Commerce Law Group LLC in Sewickley.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-00589