The provisions concerning partial designs were added to the newly amended Patent Law of China, which came into effect on June 1, 2021. Previously, the official was issued a notice that the examination for the partial design would begin after the corresponding contents of the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law are issued. As of July 20, 2023, the corresponding examination standards have not been published yet, but grant announcements for partial design patents have already emerged. This indicates that the applicants who want to file the partial design in China but have concerns about the unknown examination time can dispel their worries now and file the partial design when they are ready.
A partial design refers to the new designs of the shape, the pattern, or their combination, or the combination of the color with shape or pattern, of a part of product, which creates an aesthetic feeling and is fit for industrial application. That is, the scope of protection of a partial design patent is directed only to certain portions of a product. Read more