The court has started to address the dispute concerning the alleged plagiarism of the pump

Prague - The Prague Municipal Court today began addressing the dispute among architects regarding authorship of a construction. The Czech studio SAD built a gas station in Slovakia in 2011, and last year the gas station in Prague Libeň was completed, which, according to the authors of the first structure, is a plagiarism of it. The legal representative of the owner of the Prague gas station disagrees that there has been an infringement of the architects' rights. He claims that while the building is similar, it contains generic, common elements.

The gas station in the village of Matúškovo was created by the SAD studio nine years ago for the company GAS. The roof is shaped like three interconnected circles supported by slender columns. To some, the building resembles mushrooms, while others see it as supported flying saucers; it has received recognition both at home and abroad. The simple structure is distinguished by large numbers on the pumps and neon lights around their perimeter.

Today, the lawyer for the SAD studio stated in court that the original structure gained considerable publicity and was also awarded in several competitions. According to him, the gas station in Libeň represents such a resemblance to the original that it must unequivocally be considered a plagiarism. He said that the architects' rights were also infringed by the fact that they were associated with the Prague building. "It is (the building) similar, but it shows qualitative deficiencies that the plaintiffs had to respond to in terms of the expert public," the lawyer stated.

The legal representative of the owner of the Prague gas station, the company Tived, disagrees. He claimed that the copyright character of the building has not been proven, and moreover, there were already several objects before 2011 that contained the same elements as both gas stations. "We do not deny that they are similar, but that alone does not mean an infringement of copyright," the representative pointed out.

Judge Filip Liška today urged both parties to try to reconcile. He warned that the decision in the matter would be "radical," whether or not the plaintiffs' claims are upheld. He also added that if he were to recognize the architects' lawsuit, it would mean that the above-ground elements of the Libeň station would have to be effectively demolished. The judge expressed that it would be most appropriate for the parties to reach a settlement agreement.

The court already issued a preliminary injunction last November, according to which the owner of the Prague building had to cover the characteristic features that bring the building closer to the original and hang an explanatory text on it.