Design Patents
A design patent protects the way your product looks. For the right product it is faster and less expensive than a utility patent, and it is often the sharpest tool you can carry into a copycat dispute.
30+
years in practice
Author of the American Bar
Association’s official patent guide.
2.5K+
patents obtained
10K+
inventors and
entrepreneurs advised
30+
years focused on
intellectual property law
100%
flat‑fee billing, no
hourly surprises
What Clients Say
“Rich Goldstein saved us from costly IP missteps
by clearly explaining what was worth protecting and what wasn’t. I always knew exactly what we were doing and why.”
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– Alex T.
“Working with Goldstein IP changed how we think about IP.
Rich doesn’t just file patents, he helps us use them strategically in investor and licensing conversations.”
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– Jamie L.
“After bouncing between a few firms, partnering with Rich
was a different experience entirely. Flat fees, clear communication, and real business insight behind every recommendation.”
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– Morgan S.
A utility patent protects how something works. A design patent protects how it looks. They are separate rights, and for many products it makes sense to hold both.
15 years from the date the patent is granted. Unlike utility patents, there are no maintenance fees to keep it alive.
They are one of the rights online marketplaces accept in an infringement report. How well yours performs depends almost entirely on how the drawings were drafted, which is why we spend real time on them.
Yes, and for products where both the mechanism and the appearance carry value, that combination is often the strongest position. We will tell you if only one of them is worth the investment.
Yes. The USPTO has specific drawing standards, and the drawings define the scope of what you own. We handle that as part of the flat fee.
They generally move faster than utility patents because there is no claim language to negotiate. We will give you a realistic timeline for your filing rather than a stock answer.
Find Out Exactly What Protection You Actually Need
In a free 15‑minute IP strategy call, we’ll:
- Review where you are in your business and product roadmap.
- Identify what should be protected now, what can wait, & what may not need protection at all.
- Outline clear next steps and flat‑fee options, if moving forward makes sense.
When the Look Is the Asset
A design patent covers the ornamental appearance of a product: its shape, its surface, its visual character. It does not cover how the product works.
That makes it the right choice when buyers recognize your product on sight and competitors copy the look rather than the mechanism. Protection runs 15 years from grant, with no maintenance fees along the way.
The Drawings Are the Patent
In a design patent the drawings are the claim. Which lines are solid and which are broken decides exactly how much of your product you own, and that single choice separates a patent that stops a copycat from one a competitor can design around.
We work through the drawing strategy with you before anything is filed, at a flat fee agreed upfront.
With over 10,000 patent attorneys in the US, only 1 was asked to write the book on how to obtain a patent.
The American Bar Association — the world’s largest organization of lawyers — asked Goldstein Patent Law founder Rich Goldstein to write their consumer guide on obtaining a patent.
The American Bar Association — the world’s largest organization of lawyers — asked Goldstein Patent Law founder Rich Goldstein to write their consumer guide on obtaining a patent.
Finally a book that walks you through the patent process in plain English!
— Frank Kern, Entrepreneur and Internet Marketing Expert
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