Industrial design policy
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides policy leadership, advocacy, and technical and trade expertise in domestic and international industrial design rights. This includes regular representation of the U.S. government in bilateral and multilateral intellectual property (IP) and trade negotiations, including representation at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the ID5 Industrial Design Forum (ID5), and other international and domestic forums and frameworks.
Industrial design (design patent) policy encompasses a number of areas that are critical to responding to the many design-related domestic and international issues that face U.S. rights holders. These include:
- Domestic design and design-related policy issuesas they relate to international agreements and treaties, as well as the development of domestic U.S. laws and practice.
- Treaty negotiation and monitoring the enforcementof industrial design-related international treaty provisions.
- U.S. implementation of, and adherence to, international treaty obligationsrelating to industrial designs.
- Cooperative efforts and studieswith foreign intellectual property and design offices, including cataloging and sharing practices for industrial design protection.
- Technical assistance and trainingon industrial design and design-related matters for U.S. and foreign officials.
Some of the key industrial design and design-related international agreements the USPTO negotiated, helped develop, and continues to monitor and advance, include the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, and the Riyadh Design Law Treaty. For further information on these treaties and related issues, please visit the links below.
Additional USPTO design resources
- Design patent application guide
- Data Visualization: Design Data
- Using Patent Public Search Advanced to Search Designs
- Apply to become a design patent practitioner
- Design patent examiner materials and resources
For information about types of patents, including design patents, visit the USPTO’sApplying for Patents webpage.
TitleAreas of focus
The USPTO is a key agency in providing IP policy expertise, advice, and guidance to the administration on a variety of subjects, including the key design-related topics below.
TitleCollaboration
The USPTO actively engages with counterpart governments and IP offices through the forums listed below.
TitleInternational treaties
International agreements related to industrial designs and their protection.
TitleReports, research, and studies
Additional resources on industrial designs from the U.S. government and international organizations.
Questions about the content of this page may be directed to the USPTO’sOffice of Policy and International Affairs atOPIAfeedback@uspto.gov.