Some might scoff at the idea of a Design Patent. “It only protects the aesthetic shape, and very narrowly too” they may say. “A competitor can change the shape beyond a certain threshold (which is low), and they go around the Patent, so why bother?”

Why bother? Let’s ask Apple if the $539 million they got from Samsung was worth the bother. US Design Patents are probably the best bang for the buck in the IP world. The filing fees are low, and as long as your drawings are acceptable, there are not too many lawyer fees for procedure, and the Issue fee is pretty affordable too. For this, you get 15 years of protection from date of Grant, with NO maintenance fees.

Here is a DJI Design Patent for what looks like an Inspire. Note that the stuff in dashed lines is not part of the patent protection because it is functional. The only protected stuff is the body of the drone and parts of its arms.

Title: “Aerial Vehicle”

US Patent No: D1040018

Filed (US Reg.):  2020-07-16

Granted: 2024-08-27

Applicant: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd.