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Apple's iPhone User Interface Held Functional for Trade Dress Infringement, But Not Design Patent Purposes

In the long-running <i>Apple v. Samsung</i> dispute, the Federal Circuit has highlighted a marked difference between the effectiveness of trade dress and design patents in protecting the visual characteristics of a product, which could potentially cost Apple hundreds of millions of dollars in lost damages.

24 minute read July 01, 2015 at 12:06 PM
By
M. Michael Lewis And Matthew Siegal
Apple's iPhone User Interface Held Functional for Trade Dress Infringement, But Not Design Patent Purposes

In the long-running Apple v. Samsung dispute, the Federal Circuit has highlighted a marked difference between the effectiveness of trade dress and design patents in protecting the visual characteristics of a product, which could potentially cost Apple hundreds of millions of dollars in lost damages.

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