On December 22, 2016, experts of design patent practice were invited to AFD China’s office to have a discussion with our professionals regarding current hot issues, problems in common practice, and future directions of design patent prosecution and protection. Some in-house IP practitioners from our client enterprises and companies that have specific interest in design protection also attended the seminar and shared their opinions.
In the first part of the seminar, the experts talked about their perspectives and experiences in various aspects of design practice, such as objects to be protected under design patent, requirements for design applications, specific provisions of the law & regulation, differences between design and utility model patents, evolution of examination of design patent application. These topics were explained with examples and actual cases, which helped the attendees establish a well understanding. The experts also introduced the trend of the protection of graphical user interface (GUI) designs, providing guidance on how to seek protection for GUIs, how to present GUIs in dynamic and static states, how to incorporate GUIs into conventional products in a design application, and so on.
The second half of the seminar was a Q&A session, where heated discussion was witnessed. The participants raised questions based on and cited typical situations experienced in their daily practice, asking the experts for advice. The experts answered the questions with not only clear directions and useful insights but also explanations on the legal principal behind. The attendees all appreciated the opportunity of having the direct communication and found it very helpful.
The seminar gave participants the accesses to obtaining a better understanding of design patents, finding new and practical solutions for problems occurred in daily handlings, and keeping up with the current practice and upcoming changes. It is hoped that such discussions could play a positive role in the attendees’ future operation related to design patent.
AFD China will continue to pay close attention on design practice, provide future opportunities for thoughts-exchange, and help our clients protect their designs with constantly-updated knowledge and not-in-the-box approaches.
