{"id":26306,"date":"2026-09-29T12:34:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=26306"},"modified":"2026-09-29T12:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:34:39","slug":"can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Put a Floor Plan on a Real Estate Listing? A Court Case Says: It Depends."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You\u2019ve found the perfect house online. You love the kitchen photos, the backyard looks great\u2014and then you spot the floor plan. Suddenly, you know exactly where the kids\u2019 rooms could go, whether your sofa will fit, and if that \u201copen concept\u201d claim is actually true.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But here\u2019s the surprising part: <strong>who owns that floor plan\u2014and whether a real estate agent can legally use it\u2014can become a copyright issue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2025 federal appeals court decision brought some important clarity to the question, and its implications are still relevant to real estate professionals in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Designworks Homes, Inc. v. Columbia House of Brokers Realty, Inc.<\/em>, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit considered whether real estate agents could create and publish floor plans of existing homes when the underlying architectural designs were copyrighted. The court ultimately held that, under the specific circumstances of the case, the agents\u2019 use qualified as <strong>fair use<\/strong>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/fair-use\/summaries\/Designworks%20Homes%20Inc.%20v.%20Columbia%20House%20of%20Brokers%20Realty%2C%20126%20F.4th%20589%20%288th%20Cir.%202025%29.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">copyright.gov<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, why did the agents get the green light?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They weren&#8217;t using the plans to build another house. Instead, they created simplified floor plans to <strong>help prospective buyers understand and evaluate homes being offered for resale<\/strong>. The court considered that a different, informational purpose from the original architectural designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court also weighed the other fair-use factors, including the nature of the copyrighted work, how much of the original design was used and whether the use could harm the copyright owner&#8217;s market. In this case, the court concluded that fair use applied. (<a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov\/opndir\/25\/01\/233402P.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there\u2019s an important \u201cdon\u2019t get too comfortable\u201d here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This decision does not mean every floor plan is automatically fair game.<\/strong> The U.S. Copyright Office explains that fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis. There isn&#8217;t a magic percentage or amount that automatically makes copying legal. (<a href=\"https:\/\/copyright.gov\/fair-use\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">copyright.gov<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For real estate professionals, the 2026 takeaway is straightforward: <strong>using a floor plan to help market a home may qualify as fair use in circumstances similar to this case, but the details matter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the next time you see a floor plan tucked beneath those listing photos, remember: <strong>those little boxes and lines may look simple\u2014but legally, there can be a lot more to the picture.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> REALTOR\u00ae Magazine<br \/>\u201cFederal Court Says Floor Plans Fall Under \u2018Fair Use\u2019\u201d<br \/>National Association of REALTORS\u00ae<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve found the perfect house online. You love the kitchen photos, the backyard looks great\u2014and then you spot the floor plan. Suddenly, you know exactly where the kids\u2019 rooms could go, whether your sofa will fit, and if that \u201copen concept\u201d claim is actually true. But here\u2019s the surprising part: who owns that floor plan\u2014and &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link btn\" href=\"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8],"tags":[5,32,4,9],"class_list":["post-26306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-real-estate-tips","tag-anthony-didonato","tag-news","tag-real-estate","tag-tips","item-wrap"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can You Put a Floor Plan on a Real Estate Listing? A Court Case Says: It Depends. - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"headline\":\"Can You Put a Floor Plan on a Real Estate Listing? 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Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. He is known for finding that \u201cperfect\u201d property in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania for his buyers and helping his sellers prepare their properties so they sell quickly and efficiently. When it comes time to negotiate the terms of a contract, Anthony DiDonato has the knowledge, experience, and professionalism applied to meeting \u2013 or exceeding \u2013 his clients\u2019 expectations. His service to his clients is second to none. His honesty and integrity have been his claim to fame. For Superior Real Estate Representation in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\u2026 call Anthony DiDonato.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\"],\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can You Put a Floor Plan on a Real Estate Listing? A Court Case Says: It Depends. - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/can-you-put-a-floor-plan-on-a-real-estate-listing-a-court-case-says-it-depends\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908"},"headline":"Can You Put a Floor Plan on a Real Estate Listing? 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Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. He is known for finding that \u201cperfect\u201d property in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania for his buyers and helping his sellers prepare their properties so they sell quickly and efficiently. When it comes time to negotiate the terms of a contract, Anthony DiDonato has the knowledge, experience, and professionalism applied to meeting \u2013 or exceeding \u2013 his clients\u2019 expectations. His service to his clients is second to none. His honesty and integrity have been his claim to fame. 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