News & Analysis as of

Design Patent Intellectual Property Protection

Fish & Richardson

What a Difference a Break Makes at the ITC

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Patent families claim inventions that are similar since the entire family claims the innovative features of a single or limited number of inventions. They do so by relying on the disclosure of a single patent specification...more

Kilpatrick

5 Key Takeaways | Trademark and Patent Rights: Better Together—How to Strengthen Your IP Protections

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Kilpatrick’s Megan Bussey, Justin Eurek, and Calla Yee recently led a session at the 21st annual KTIPS (Kilpatrick Townsend Intellectual Property Seminar) on “Trademark and Patent Rights: Better Together—How to Strengthen...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Emerging Counterfeiting Tactic: Private Label Marks to Evade Online Enforcement

A new and increasingly sophisticated form of counterfeiting is challenging traditional brand protection strategies. Counterfeiters are now avoiding the use of well-known house marks and instead applying “private label” marks...more

Irwin IP LLP

Arguments in Prosecution History Limit Design Patents Too 

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The USPTO must reject a patent application if the applicant’s claim covers what the prior art already disclosed, and patent applicants may respond to such rejections with arguments that what they claimed was different. ...more

Hogan Lovells

CJEU’s AG on EU designs: Designs do not require originality, and fashion trends do not limit the freedom of the designer

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In one of the rare design cases before the CJEU, Advocate General Emiliou recently had the opportunity to clarify some fundamental requirements of protection for EU designs (Case C-323/24, Deity Shoes v Mundorama Confort and...more

Jones Day

Another Fender-Bender between LKQ and GM

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We have covered the LKQ v. GM design patent disputes from the PTAB decision through appeal and en banc rehearing.  And now we report on yet another chapter in the saga between these parties....more

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

“What You Say Can and Will Be Used Against Your Patent” Says Federal Circuit in New Opinion

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Last week, the Federal Circuit issued its decision in Top Brand LLC v. Cozy Comfort Company LLC, clarifying the application of prosecution history disclaimer in the context of design patents. This alert summarizes the...more

ArentFox Schiff

USPTO to Launch AI-Powered Image-Based Search Tool for Design Patents Amidst New Legal Standards

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The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the upcoming launch of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered image-based prior-art search tool for design patents, scheduled to go live on October 1, 2025 (fiscal...more

K&L Gates LLP

EU Designs: Genuine Design Activity and Intellectual Effort are not Required for Protection

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Advocate General Nicholas Emiliou has delivered his opinion in the case Deity Shoes, S.L. v Mundorama Confort, S.L. and another (Case C 323/24). The case considers whether a footwear design made by Deity Shoes, S.L. (Deity...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

AI Search Tool Coming to Design Patent Examination

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the rollout of DesignVision, an advanced AI‑powered image search tool now integrated into the examination system for U.S. design patent applications. According to the...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

USPTO Expediting Design Patent Issuances and De-Expediting Design Examination

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Starting May 13, 2025, the USPTO has begun accelerating the issuance of patents after the issue fee has been paid. Specifically, the duration between the Issue Notification and the Issue Date will be reduced to approximately...more

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

Diversifying Your IP Strategy: Key Tactics for a Well-Rounded Portfolio

In today’s competitive and innovation-driven economy, protecting intellectual property (IP) is no longer just about securing utility patents. A well-rounded IP strategy that incorporates multiple forms of IP, such as trade...more

Jones Day

Revolutionizing EU Design Protection: Key Changes Under the New Designs and Models Regulation

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May 1, 2025, marked the entry into force of most provisions of Phase I of the new Regulation (EU) 2024/2822, which forms part of the "Designs and Models Package" adopted within the European Union. This text, in addition to...more

BakerHostetler

[Podcast] A New Test: Landmark Decision Overrules Framework for Design Patent Obviousness

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The legal landscape quaked, and clients and counsel continue to navigate the tremors. More than 40 years of precedent was upended in May 2024 when a federal circuit court struck down the Rosen-Durling test for assessing...more

Knobbe Martens

German Sandals Follow the Functional Footsteps of U.S. Cheerleader Uniform Shape

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In a recent decision, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice held that Birkenstock’s sandal design was not eligible for copyright protection. The court held that Birkenstock sandals did not display sufficient creativity to be...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Beyond Utility: How to Protect Corporate Value with Design Patents

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Utility patent protection is typically the first thing that comes to mind for protecting a product; however, such protection may not be available when the product has been on the market a long time or is dominated by...more

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

[Webinar] Diversifying Your IP Strategy: Key Tactics for a Well-Rounded Portfolio - April 10th, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET

Protecting your intellectual property requires a strategic, multi-faceted approach—are you making the most of your IP assets? Join us for a webinar, where we will cover key considerations for trade secrets, design patents,...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Recap of 2024 U.S. Design Patent Drama: Here’s What We Know Now

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In 2024, design patent law encountered a couple of major changes: the implementation of a new design patent bar, and the upending of decades of obviousness law under 35 U.S.C. § 103 in view of the en banc United States Court...more

A&O Shearman

Federal Circuit Expands Economic Prong Of Section 337 Domestic Industry Requirement

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Lashify, Inc. is an American company, with headquarters and employees in the United States, that distributes, markets, and sells eyelash extensions (and cases and applicators for the eyelash extensions) in the United States....more

Quarles & Brady LLP

German Birkenstock Decision Shows the Limits of Copyright Protection for Functional Designs

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“Aber ist es Kunst?” - That question—“But is it art?”—was before the German Bundesgerichtshof (“BGH”), or Federal Court of Justice, in a recent proceeding involving the well-known Birkenstock sandal design. ...more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

Trade Dress Registration – Practical Considerations for Product Manufacturers

Summary Trade dress is a powerful intellectual property (IP) tool that can be used to protect the distinctive non-functional “look and feel" of a product’s design, shape and/or 3D configuration.[1] Product manufacturers and...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Best Practices for Protecting Transparent and Translucent Designs

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Design patents in the U.S. typically include two types of shading. The first and most common type of shading used in U.S. design patents is opaque shading, which illustrates a non-transparent or non-translucent surface of an...more

ArentFox Schiff

IPO Introduces Survey to Steer Future of UK Design Law

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On February 25, the United Kingdom (UK) Intellectual Property Office (IPO) launched a survey to collect feedback on potential changes to the UK’s design protection framework. The goal is to ensure that the system remains...more

Jones Day

CJEU Grants Jurisdiction Over Foreign IP Infringement Cases

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The Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") issued a landmark decision on February 25, 2025, in the case of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH v. Electrolux AB. The ruling extends the jurisdiction of EU courts to adjudicate...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Sometimes Less is More: Patentability of “Simple” Designs

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When there are fewer design elements in a design claim or when the individual elements of the design seem commonplace in isolation, it can be easy to overlook the inventive effort that went into developing a design. Rather...more

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