PHIUS lawyers accuse New York Passive House of stealing PHIUS’s “trade secrets”
Lawyers representing the Passive House Institute U.S. have sent a cease-and-desist letter to a regional Passivhaus organization in New York, accusing the group of stealing PHIUS’s e-mail list. The letter includes several “demands.”
Three New York Passive House board members have issued a letter denying PHIUS’s charges. They say that the e-mail list used by New York Passive House is their own, not one stolen from PHIUS.
To read the details of this story, see the new paragraphs appended this morning to yesterday’s news story:
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/phius-tries-trademark-certified-passive-house-consultant
UPDATE, January 28, 2012: New York Passive House has issued a letter and a statement in response to the PHIUS letter. To read more, see the updated news story (link above).
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Quoting Don Henley:
"Can we film the operation?
Is the Head Dead Yet?"
Preston Koerner of Jetson Green tweeted, "Not getting better, skip passive house for net-zero and LBC."
Roger Lin of Washington, D.C. tweeted, "Getting uglier by the hour."
Is it time to debate LBC vs. Passive House vs. Net Zero? LBC requires a closed loop water/wastewater cycle! Then the materials red-list: PVC, polyurethane, etc. Net zero is far easier. You could build to code minimum, include tons of plastic, then add enough PV to be a net producer of energy.
With "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" recently cancelled, I'm hoping that the void in my wife's life can be filled by PHI (Passive House Idiocy).
I'm half German, to boot, so I understand ego. It's a huge albatross around the neck of many good ideas.
The irony of the approach taken by PHIUS -- an organization that is now gravely wounded, with most of the wounds self-inflicted -- is their determination to alienate all potential friends and allies with unnecessary attacks.
New York Passive House has been trying very hard to stay neutral and to promote training sessions by a variety of providers, including PHIUS. But look where that got them.
Sorry....LBC?
LBC = Living Building Challenge.
https://ilbi.org/lbc
considering brooklyn is the mecca of passivhaus in north america, has some of the most knowledgeable and passionate advocates of passivhaus, and is pumping out some of the better looking PH projects - this tactic is highly confounding/disappointing/unfortunate.
having just wrapped up an LBC proposal, i'm fighting off the desire to agree with preston on skipping PH and just jumping to LBC, where the pudding must be proved. also, we've begun taking a much harder look at water issues lately.
based on PHNY's response, a few thoughts come to mind...
"several claims that can most charitably be characterized as inaccurate"
“unfortunate and somewhat bewildering.”
“broadside attack”
“not only inaccurate, it’s destructive, disappointing and hurtful”