# Design patent

A patent covering the ornamental appearance of a functional object — its shape, configuration, or visual design — not how it works. Design patents last 15 years from grant. They are faster and less expensive to obtain than utility patents. Apple's US D618,677 patent on the iPhone's rounded-rectangle shape is a famous example; it was central to over $1 billion in damages against Samsung.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/design-patent

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._