Product and Brand Protection in Product Design
PATENTABLE DESIGN AND AVOIDING PATENT INFRINGEMENT IN CHINA.
Protecting your intellectual property is an important part of any R&D project. The question of how and when to start the process is a common query, without an obvious answer.
There are many forms of brand and product protection, including patents, copyright, design registration, innovation patents (utility), provisional patents, or international patent applications (PCT). They are potentially useful tools for protecting your brand or product and work in a variety of ways.
Product Development Expertise
Over the past 10 years, JCsportline has built up a portfolio of many successfully patented products, both locally and internationally. We have worked with our clients to create new patentable designs from scratch and also helped to ensure they don’t infringe on existing patents
Ensuring your design doesn’t infringe on existing patents, either in your industry or in others, is an important part of We have outlined several of the most common questions we receive.
When should I patent my product？ When the design is complete and fully functional.
Many people want to patent the idea prior to creating a working design. This usually results in significant modifications to your patent application or more realistically starting the patent process again.
A patent protects the function of a design and outlines the individual details that result in that function. A single functional element or a combination of functional elements create the “claims” in a patent. Through the design process, essentially all designs and details will change, therefore the “claims” can only be defined after the design has been resolved.
Conducting a patent search and other extensive research is always a good idea at the beginning of the design process. This will outline existing designs and patents, if any.
How do I protect my idea while it's being designed?
Ensure you seek proper legal advice, but in general; everyone involved should sign a CA (confidentiality agreement) or NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Simply put; this keeps all details regarding your idea out of the public domain and you have, in writing, that the idea is yours.
What other types of protection exist?
There are several and each should be researched to understand the intricacies.
Here is an overview of some common IP protection options:
this protects the function of a design to create a desired out.
This can be country-specific or cover multiple countries.
this protects the look/aesthetics/feel of a product.
this is only in certain countries. This is similar to a patent but uses the combination of existing functions to create a novel/unique design.
this protects literary works usually making up the branding. Logos/names.
JCSPORTLINE offers a one-stop service in China with expert legal resources to efficiently and affordably resolve market infringement issues. Protect your business with JCSPORTLINE’s professional legal support.
Are patents expensive?
Registering a design patent in China costs only $300-$500. For functional patents, specific consultation with a patent company is required. JCSPORTLINE connects you with a team of patent experts, offering economical and efficient patent solutions.
Is the design process expensive?
The design of any new product contains multiple stages to progress from an idea to a fully designed product
JCsportline has a reputation for creating elegant, patentable, and functional products. We can work independently or closely with your patent attorneys to create unique ideas from scratch or create designs that avoid infringing on existing patents. Get in contact if you would like to know more, or find out about getting a quote for your project. We’d love to hear from you!
