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Design Patent
Practical Law Glossary Item w-020-6931 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Design Patent
A type of patent issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
- Protecting new, original, and ornamental designs of manufactured articles.
- Having a term of 15 years from its issue date (14 years for patents issued from applications filed before May 13, 2015).
(35 U.S.C. §§ 111(a), 171, 173, 382, 385, and 389; 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.151 and 1.1061; MPEP §§ 1501 to 1505 and 2950.)
For more information about design patent protection in the US, see Practice Note, Design Patents: Overview.
Outside the US, an applicant may file a single international application under the Hague System to obtain industrial design protection in multiple countries. For more information on the Hague System, see Practice Note, US Design Patents and the Hague Agreement Concerning Industrial Designs.