Category Archives: Design Patent

How Long to Get Design Patent?

Question: I want to protect my designed pendants in the USA. What should I do? And what cost per pendant design? And how long will it take?

A design patent may take one year or more to issue (although half of the applications issue in less than a year). An applicant can speed things along — that is, obtain a design patent within two to six months — by filing a Request for Expedited Examination of a Design Patent and paying a hefty fee. Here’s an article about the expedited system. You can learn more about design patent strategy in this article and we explain the steps for preparing an application in this section of our site. You can learn current fees at the USPTO website.

Can Beading Magazine Claim Copyright in Geometric Pattern?

DR_BeadsQuestion: A beading magazine has lots of instructions for making beaded jewelry designs that are purely geometric. The magazine tells readers that they can only use these designs for gifts or personal use (but not to sell). Can the magazine stop me from selling jewelry based on these designs?

Answer: We think you can probably sell the designs without incident but our response depends on the uniqueness and novelty of the patterns. Continue reading