1. ArchDaily
  2. Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property: The Latest Architecture and News

Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property

Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - Image 5 of 4
Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG's Renderings of the Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Image

Following two years of legal disputes, 2020 AIA Gold Medalist Marlon Blackwell and HBG Design have reached a settlement to their infamous Saracen Casino case. The award-winning firm claimed that it was responsible for the design of the Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, however, HBG Design, a Memphis design firm who Blackwell brought into the project as architect-of-record was taking credit for it instead. After performing extensive design work from 2017 to March 2019 then being abruptly fired from the project, MBA sued HBG for "copyright infringement, attribution, tortious interference, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment".

Although the case was settled, the battle is yet another incident in the ongoing debate of intellectual property in architecture, and the legal implications between design architects and architects of record. 

Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - Image 1 of 4Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - Image 2 of 4Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - Featured ImageLegal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - Image 3 of 4Legal Battle between Marlon Blackwell Architects and HBG Design Ignites the Debate of Architectural Intellectual Property - More Images+ 1

Architect Sues SOM for Stealing One World Trade Center Design

Architect Jeehoon Park has filed a lawsuit against Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), claiming the design of New York City’s One World Trade Center was stolen from a project he developed as a graduate student at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1999.

The lawsuit states that the 104-story One World Trade bears a “striking similarity” to his 122-story “Cityfront ‘99” tower, which also featured a glass facade of inverted triangular planes.

EU Copyright Reform May Wipe Thousands of Building Images from Wikipedia

Subscriber Access | 

The European parliament will vote today on an amendment to the EU’s copyright rules, which if passed would restrict Freedom of Panorama throughout the EU. This could result in thousands of building images being deleted from Wikipedia, and put restrictions on which photos people can upload and share online.

Freedom of Panorama is an exception to copyright rules, allowing photographs of public spaces and buildings to be used without restriction, while protecting the rights of the architect or artist. Currently some countries in the EU have full Freedom of Panorama, while other countries have it in place only for buildings or only for non-commercial uses -- or not in place at all.