In a legal sense, a design patent constitutes the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of an article. Design patent may consist of three-dimensional features, such as the shape of an article; or two-dimensional features, such as patterns, lines or colour. It takes care of the superficial aspects whereas a utility patent covers the functionality of design \/ apparatus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Design patents claim for the drawings <\/a><\/strong>instead of focusing on the written description. Such patents are inexpensive with no post-grant fees and can be obtained in 3-6 months with advance planning which can also be expedited. In general, design patents last for at least 10 years from its issuance. However, this time period may vary as per jurisdiction in which we are filing<\/strong>. For instance, the life of a US design patent has been increased up to 15 years from 14 years if they are filed on or after May 13, 2015. [Reference Link 1<\/a>; & Reference Link 2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Design patents have been in existence since the 1800s. Nothing has fundamentally changed about the nature of design patents since then. The first US design patent was granted on November 09, 1842 to George Bruce. The Statue of Liberty, Coke bottle, Volkswagen Beetle, Stealth Bomber and Star Wars\u2019 Yoda are all protected by design patents. Design patents have long played an important role in consumer electronics, automotive, apparel, jewellery, packaging and other industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table of Contents<\/p>\n