Case Citation
Legal Case Name

CHRISTOPHER PHELPS & ASSOCIATES, LLC v. GALLOWAY Case Brief

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit2007
492 F.3d 532 Intellectual Property Remedies Evidence Property

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: An architectural firm sued a homeowner for building a house with its copyrighted plans. The court affirmed a damages award but denied an injunction preventing the future sale of the infringing house, finding such a remedy too draconian and an improper restraint on the alienation of real property.

Legal Significance: This case clarifies the application of the eBay four-factor test for permanent injunctions in architectural copyright infringement, establishing that an injunction preventing the sale of a completed, infringing structure may be denied when the balance of hardships and public policy against restraining property alienation weigh against it.

CHRISTOPHER PHELPS & ASSOCIATES, LLC v. GALLOWAY Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

R. Wayne Galloway obtained a copy of architectural plans for the “Bridgeford Residence,” designed and copyrighted by Christopher Phelps & Associates, LLC (“Phelps”). Believing he had permission from the original homeowner, Galloway used the plans, which bore Phelps’ copyright notice, to construct his own home. Phelps discovered the infringement when the house was over halfway complete and filed suit. The Bridgeford Residence design was a modification of an earlier Phelps design, but Phelps was the author and copyright owner of all constituent elements. A jury found Galloway liable for copyright infringement, awarding Phelps $20,000 in actual damages, which represented the firm’s standard fee for such plans. The jury found Galloway had realized no profits to disgorge. The district court denied Phelps’ subsequent motion for a permanent injunction that would have prohibited the future sale or lease of the house and required the destruction of the infringing plans, reasoning that the damages award had made Phelps “whole.”

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Did the district court abuse its discretion by denying a permanent injunction that would prohibit the future sale or lease of a house built in violation of an architectural copyright, after the copyright holder was awarded actual damages for the infringement?

No. The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying an Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Did the district court abuse its discretion by denying a permanent injunction that would prohibit the future sale or lease of a house built in violation of an architectural copyright, after the copyright holder was awarded actual damages for the infringement?

Conclusion

This case establishes important limits on equitable remedies for architectural copyright infringement, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco l

Legal Rule

A plaintiff seeking a permanent injunction in a copyright case must demonstrate: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia

Legal Analysis

The court applied the four-factor test from *eBay* to Phelps' request for Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • When an author owns the copyright to both an underlying work
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur ad

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