Design Patentees

Design patents continue to be a popular protection scheme for developers of consumer products and screen displays. Top ten assignees thus-far in 2016 with most recent examples:

  1. Samsung (Toner Cartridge)  [Samsung has 4x more design patents than any other assignee on the list]
  2. LGE (Mobile telephone)
  3. Apple (Mobile telephone)
  4. Microsoft (Icon)
  5. Ford (Truck Grille)
  6. Google (Screen display for Maps)
  7. Nike (Tights)
  8. Jaguar & Land Rover (Rims)
  9. 3M (clip)
  10. P&G (sanitary napkin)
  11. Tencent (screen display)

2 thoughts on “Design Patentees

  1. 2

    Googe’s design patent on the GUI for its maps app is great. Priority date to 2012 and they filed (because of restriction requirement between 9 groups):

    29/530,926 filed on 06-22-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/530,939 filed on 06-22-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/530,943 filed on 06-22-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/530,950 filed on 06-22-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/530,953 filed on 06-22-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/531,044 filed on 06-23-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/531,046 filed on 06-23-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579
    29/531,056 filed on 06-23-2015 which is Patented claims the benefit of 29/438,579

    It looks like every map app out there would infringe (I wish I could insert an image).

  2. 1

    One might not be surprised to notice Samsung highly aware of the potent properties of design patents.

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