Design Patents

Mission Impossible: Can you block a design patent application? Design patent applications are not publicly viewable. It can be nearly impossible to figure out what…

How can you reduce the risk of patent infringement? It depends. Patent professionals, including myself, constantly stress that a patent does not protect its owner…

What makes a design patent better? Design patents are quite simple. So simple, in fact, that it can be easy to overlook certain nuances that…

What are common design patent failures? Filing a design patent application doesn’t seem very complicated. Thankfully, there are no lengthy pages of descriptions and no…

What does it take to patent a design? Before diving into how to patent a design, let’s first cover the why questions. Why do you…

Can a design patent cover a type of material? We all know that designs patents cover the ornamental appearance of a product or idea. Functionality…

Can a design patent protect your new product? When compared to utility patents, design patents are often overlooked as an IP asset. It’s true that…

What is a design patent continuation application? US patent law allows an applicant to file a “child” patent application while the “parent” application is still…

What are your chances of getting a design patent? A helpful way to estimate your probability of success in obtaining a US design patent is…

What is the meaning of broken or dashed lines in a design patent? While I’m not sure if you can call it a loophole, US…

Design patent divisional application: when do you need it? Though it does not happen often, a design patent application may occasionally be filed with multiple…

Will a design patent protect your idea? Without a doubt, design patents are cheaper and quicker to obtain than utility patents. The low cost and…