Design Patent vs Utility Patent: What Actually Differs?

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]What's the difference between a design patent and a utility patent?

[00:00:03]>> Yeah, so there's there's quite a few uh a few key differences. So, I'll start with a utility patent. You know, roughly 90% I'd say of the world's patents are utility patents, to be honest. And these are the classic things. These are your classic invention, you know, really how something works. And in a utility patent, um they're typically the the key things you have to prove the thing actually works. Like it's like it's fun to say, "Hey, I invented a time machine." But no data, you didn't invent it, right? And because of that, they're typically quite a bit more expensive to do. Like I would say almost an order of magnitude more expensive than the um than a utility patent. Uh and because of that, they actually last a little bit longer. These last for 20 years. Design patent, on the other hand, the key thing is actually the drawing. Right. And it's just showing the design. It's the design. Is it Is it different? And it's really what the thing looks like, essentially, right? Uh and they're they're cuz they're just showing the thing's different, how it looks.

[00:00:53]Typically a little bit easier to file.

[00:00:55]Uh typically less expensive to file. But they only last 15 years. The classic the classic design patent that I always think about is the the old Apple Apple iPhone here. The shape, the look of it.

[00:01:07]Uh that is a that is a design patent.

[00:01:09]Pretty classic.