IAPMO Uniform Evaluation Services Denies Claims of Lawsuit, Defends Rightful Position in Marketplace

IAPMO’s Uniform Evaluation Service (UES) provides evaluation reports of the highest integrity that offer manufacturers a fully qualified and accredited alternative to those issued by ICC. Despite ICC’s unwarranted assertions, IAPMO UES stands by our process, our reports, and our rightful position in the marketplace.

In October of last year, ICC approached The IAPMO Group with concerns that there were similarities in the wording between our Uniform Evaluation Reports and those of ICC. Although we believed then, as we do now, that ICC's claims were without legal merit, IAPMO made significant efforts in the intervening months to placate ICC's demands, including amending the process by which we create reports and reissuing some reports in a manner that we expected would fully address ICC's concerns. ICC contends that a minimal number of evaluation reports posted to the IAPMO website are infringing; which IAPMO emphatically denies.

Notwithstanding our efforts over the last several months to address ICC's concerns, we were disappointed to learn that ICC has recently filed a lawsuit and has embarked on an acrimonious and inflammatory public relations campaign directed against IAPMO. While we believe that our legal position will ultimately be vindicated in court, the larger point is our right to operate our service in the same marketplace. And despite ICC's efforts to chill competition in that marketplace, we will continue to operate our service to manufacturers and others in the plumbing and building industries.

ICC's recent decision to unnecessarily and preemptively file a lawsuit in midst of pending discussions between the two organizations is all the more surprising in light of the recent decision of the Minnesota Appeals Court, which dismissed all of ICC's claims of wrongdoing that it had directed against the Minnesota Plumbing Board. ICC's unsuccessful lawsuit against the Minnesota Plumbing Board was filed by ICC in response to that State’s recent adoption of IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code.

IAPMO UES wishes to assure existing and prospective clients that our services and the reports we generate remain every bit as valuable and legally viable as they have always been. In this regard, UES Evaluation Reports continue to be accepted by code enforcement officials who seek validation that the products in question satisfy applicable code requirements within the scope and conditions of use as noted in our reports. We are confident that our actions will be fully vindicated in the context of ICC's recent lawsuit.

We are equally confident that our customers, clients, and the public at large will recognize and understand that ICC’s recent actions against IAPMO are simply the latest episode in an ongoing campaign to promote the business interests of ICC ES and to undermine public confidence in IAPMO UES’s accredited building product listing program.