design patents
Appearance-based legal shields
Design patents protect the ornamental appearance of a manufactured object rather than its function—the shape of a bottle, the pattern on a fabric, the look of a smartphone.
They differ from utility patents, which cover how something works.
Apple won a design patent lawsuit over the iPhone's rounded corners.
Design patent protection typically lasts fifteen years.
- copyrightExclusive reproduction rights
- aesthetic appealPleasing sensory quality
- trademarkRegistered commercial identifier
- appearanceOutward visible form
- configurationArrangement of parts
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