Yikes
Gold Member
Got this email this morning from ICC:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Over the past several years, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has been issuing evaluation reports and acceptance criteria without our permission that copy extensively from reports issued and copyrighted by the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). We have become increasingly concerned about this practice and on numerous occasions have expressed those concerns directly to IAPMO leadership. Despite repeated efforts over the past two months to resolve this situation informally and amicably, it has become clear that IAPMO is not interested in appropriately addressing our concerns. While IAPMO rewrote some offending reports after recent complaints, we have concluded that several of the re-writes continue to infringe ICC-ES copyrights.
We have reluctantly determined that our only remedy at this point is to turn to the legal process to force IAPMO to stop using our protected content and claiming it as their own. Accordingly, ICC-ES filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against IAPMO to stop its unauthorized use of ICC-ES materials and its knowing infringement of ICC-ES copyrights. We have reviewed IAPMO’s actions thoroughly, and we are confident that we have compelling evidence to support our legal claims.
As you know, the reputation of the ICC Family of Companies, and the public’s confidence in all Standards Developing and Conformity Assessment Organizations, rests on our collective commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency. IAPMO’s repeated practice of passing off the work of others as its own is deeply troubling, and raises serious questions about its commitment to those values. IAPMO must join ICC and other standards organizations in operating as models of principle and integrity if we expect governmental entities and our citizens to continue to trust us to be stewards of the nation’s system of building safety.
The International Code Council is a member-focused organization, and we owe it to all of our members – who remain committed to providing the highest quality of codes, standards, products and services – to hold IAPMO accountable for its actions. Over the past years, the Code Council has tried to remedy this situation informally. IAPMO’s response has been to intensify its inappropriate behavior. Having exhausted all other avenues, we are now prepared to let the courts resolve the matter.
We will keep you apprised of developments, which can also be found on our website at www.iccsafe.org, and are deeply appreciative of your ongoing support during the upcoming legal proceedings. We are committed to promoting public safety, protecting the work of our team, and taking the steps necessary to highlight and correct this situation.
Dominic Sims Alex C. Olszowy III
Chief Executive Officer ICC Board President
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Over the past several years, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has been issuing evaluation reports and acceptance criteria without our permission that copy extensively from reports issued and copyrighted by the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). We have become increasingly concerned about this practice and on numerous occasions have expressed those concerns directly to IAPMO leadership. Despite repeated efforts over the past two months to resolve this situation informally and amicably, it has become clear that IAPMO is not interested in appropriately addressing our concerns. While IAPMO rewrote some offending reports after recent complaints, we have concluded that several of the re-writes continue to infringe ICC-ES copyrights.
We have reluctantly determined that our only remedy at this point is to turn to the legal process to force IAPMO to stop using our protected content and claiming it as their own. Accordingly, ICC-ES filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against IAPMO to stop its unauthorized use of ICC-ES materials and its knowing infringement of ICC-ES copyrights. We have reviewed IAPMO’s actions thoroughly, and we are confident that we have compelling evidence to support our legal claims.
As you know, the reputation of the ICC Family of Companies, and the public’s confidence in all Standards Developing and Conformity Assessment Organizations, rests on our collective commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency. IAPMO’s repeated practice of passing off the work of others as its own is deeply troubling, and raises serious questions about its commitment to those values. IAPMO must join ICC and other standards organizations in operating as models of principle and integrity if we expect governmental entities and our citizens to continue to trust us to be stewards of the nation’s system of building safety.
The International Code Council is a member-focused organization, and we owe it to all of our members – who remain committed to providing the highest quality of codes, standards, products and services – to hold IAPMO accountable for its actions. Over the past years, the Code Council has tried to remedy this situation informally. IAPMO’s response has been to intensify its inappropriate behavior. Having exhausted all other avenues, we are now prepared to let the courts resolve the matter.
We will keep you apprised of developments, which can also be found on our website at www.iccsafe.org, and are deeply appreciative of your ongoing support during the upcoming legal proceedings. We are committed to promoting public safety, protecting the work of our team, and taking the steps necessary to highlight and correct this situation.
Dominic Sims Alex C. Olszowy III
Chief Executive Officer ICC Board President
