Battle over blueprints in the Five Towns

Lawrence homeowners Seth and Rivka Fortgang claim that Cedarhurst residents Ari and Daniella Schwartz are building an exact replica of their Auerbach Lane house from copyrighted design plans, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

The Fortgang home is just a five-minute drive from the house that the Schwartzes were building at the intersection of Villa Place and Oak Avenue in Cedarhurst, before the lawsuit halted construction.

Rivka Fortgang, a professional exterior/interior designer, registered the plan of her custom Lawrence home, built in 2005, under the name “Fortgang Residence I” with the U.S. Copyright Office to ensure its originality, The Real Deal reported. The real estate website, Zillow, lists the 4,487 square foot Fortgang house to be valued at $1,489, 292.

The lawsuit claims that there is evidence to prove that the Schwartzes requested the Fortgangs’ housing plan from the Village of Lawrence Building Department
“If something was copyrighted, just like any kind of intellectual property, it should be protected,” was the opinion of Jeff Neckonoff, a neighbor of the Fortgangs, who works in the music industry.

A Lawrence village official said that, under the Freedom of Information Law, people are able to access building plans.

The Freedom of Information Law states, “each agency shall, in accordance with its published rules, make available for public inspection and copying all records.” There are exceptions to this rule that include, but not limited to, records exempt by state or federal statute, trade secrets, records compiled for law enforcement purposes or records that could potentially endanger someone (s) life or safety.

Steven Stern, the Fortgang’s attorney, and Daniel Schloss, the Schwartz’s attorney, did not respond for comment by press time.