ICC-ES, LLC v. IAPMO, Inc.

ICC Evaluation Service, LLC v. International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, Inc. et al.

In December 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling in the copyright infringement case of the International Code Council against the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). The court found that IAPMO infringed on the Code Council’s and ICC-ES’s copyrighted materials, including ICC-ES proprietary evaluation reports and acceptance criteria. IAPMO has been permanently enjoined from obtaining, downloading or maintaining copies of the Code Council's copyrighted materials. Additionally, the court has preliminarily enjoined IAPMO from creating reports that substantially replicate the Code Council’s copyrighted evaluation reports and acceptance criteria. 

Read more, here.

About the Lawsuit

On January 13, 2016, ICC Evaluation Service, LLC (ICC-ES), a subsidiary of the Code Council, filed a lawsuit against IAPMO in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for copyright infringement of ICC’s proprietary evaluation reports and acceptance criteria.

ICC-ES filed this lawsuit to protect its copyrighted materials and to ensure the integrity of rigorous processes central to its evaluation reports and acceptance criteria, which thousands of designers, manufacturers, and building safety and fire prevention professionals rely on to promote the highest standards of construction safety across the United States.

Significant Documents

ICC views this as more than just a legal dispute:  as not-for-profits and members of the standards developing community, both of our organizations are called to a higher standard because of the trust placed in the work that we do.  The public’s confidence in all standards developing organizations rests on our collective commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity.

Stay tuned - this site will be updated with additional facts and information as the case moves forward.