The Copycat House

The designers of a $20-million Bel-Air "dream house" prevail in court after they discover a copy being built.

1 minute read

April 14, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The case of the copycat house has played out against the backdrop of the heated, extravagant world of Westside real estate, where many homeowners pay stratospheric prices to hire the architect of the moment. (Hablinski has created custom designs for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, as well as Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carrey.)

The suit sought to test the limits of the 1990 Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act. Designed to help bring the United States into compliance with the Bern Convention, an international copyright agreement, the law extended copyright protection to buildings."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 in The Los Angeles Times

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