Design
Protects the visual appearance of your product—not its function. Useful for packaging or ornamental product designs.
Additional Consideration for Design Patent:
A design patent protects how something looks (shape, packaging, or visual features), not how it works.
Pros: Useful for unique product appearances, branding, or lock-and-key systems where multiple designs can be protected.
Cons: Competitors can easily design around them. Designs often change before launch, making them less valuable for startups.
In most cases, I don’t recommend design patents unless your business depends on the appearance of your product.
