Habersham reaches seven-figure settlement in copyright case

G&J Styles, Halo Styles agree to not sell product in question

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, November 13, 2009

TOCCOA, Ga. — High-end case goods manufacturer Habersham Plantation Corp. said it has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit against wood furniture importer G&J Styles Inc. and sister company Halo Styles LLC.

The suit, filed in 2008 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, accused G&J and Halo of manufacturing and distributing unauthorized copies of 15 of Habersham's most successful furniture designs, including its Approach Road and Monet Louis XV bibliotheque cabinets.

Habersham officials did not reveal financial terms of the settlement, other than to say that the amount was in the seven-figure range. G&J and Halo also are permanently enjoined from copying those and other original designs by Habersham.

With the exception of a few remaining pieces in inventory, Habersham lawyers said that G&J and Halo also are prohibited from selling the items in question. They also are not allowed to make changes to those products in an attempt to keep selling the pieces.

G&J Styles principal Glyn Styles declined to comment on the settlement.

In a statement, Habersham President Matt Eddy said he was pleased that the matter was resolved in an amicable fashion, while "securing substantial compensation for (the) defendants' unlawful behavior."

"Our original designs are exclusive to our high-end brand - we simply cannot take anyone's copying of those designs lightly," Eddy said.