Design Patent
Categories: Regulations
The registered legal protection of a product's visual design.
A design patent is issued only to an item whose appearance is unique. This patent is different from the utility patent, in that it's the physical appearance of the product that sets it apart.
For example, Apple owns design patents on its iPhone. In 2012, the company successfully sued Samsung for a literal (okay...not literal unless you had $1 bills piled up) ton of money for making a phone that looked too darn similar.