Ottawa(October 11, 2017): A Forest Hill couple took their neighbours to court for copying the look of their multimillion-dollar home.
Jason and Jodi Chapnik, who own the home on Strathearn Rd alleged that a house on nearby Vesta Doctor was newly renovated to look “strikingly similar” to theirs including using the same shade of blue and matching grey stonework.
The Chapniks filed a lawsuit against neighbour Barbara Ann Kirshenblatt, her builder husband and architect brother-in-law for copyright infringement in federal court, as well as the real estate agent who profited from the house’s recent sale and the anonymous contractors who worked on the house.
They were seeking $1.5 million in damages, $20,000 in statutory copyright damages, $1 million in punitive damages, and a mandatory injunction on the defendant to change the design of the home.
According to a 2014 statement of claim, the Chapniks say their architect-designed home is “one of the most well-known and admired houses in the Cedarvale and Forest Hill neighbourhoods, in a large part due to its uniqueness.”
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