Tracy-Gene Durkin

The USPTO’s newly updated guidance on graphical user interface (GUI) design patents marks a timely shift toward modern digital realities, offering companies far greater flexibility in how interfaces, icons, and immersive...more On March 13, 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will issue supplemental examination guidance significantly expanding and clarifying design patent protection for computer‑generated interfaces and icons,...more A U.S. design patent protects how something looks, as opposed to how it works. An applicant conveys that look primarily using drawings. Typically they use line drawings, so that the scope of protection is focused on the shape...more Are useful to protect the design of nearly every type of product from smartphones to the retail stores that sell them; from pharmaceuticals to medical devices; and from running shoes to construction equipment....more