Patentability of graphical user interface designs

1. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS
P.ILANANGAI
IP CONSULTANT
PATENT DEPARTMENT

2. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS
DESIGNS:
 One form of Intellectual Property.
 Design protects the forms of
appearance, style or design of a
novel object. This includes shape,
configuration, pattern, ornament
composition of color etc.
 Criteria for filing the Design
Application.
 Purpose of Design Registration.
 Term of Design Patent.

3. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS
• A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a
“computer environment” that allows a user to
interact with the computer through visual
elements such as icons, “pull-down menus,
pointers, pointing devices, buttons, scroll bars,
windows, transitional animations, and dialog
boxes.
Some examples of GUIs include:
 Operating systems (e.g., Microsoft
Windows,3 Apple’s Mac OSX Lion4);
 Smartphone screens (e.g., Apple iOS 6,5
Windows Phone 8,6 and Android 4.27);
 Computer programs (e.g., Microsoft
Word,8 Adobe Photoshop9);
 Mobile applications (e.g., iBooks for
iPhone,10 Facebook for Android11).
• GUIs are the visual aspects of these applications,
and not the underlying code (i.e., “source code”
and “object code”).
contd…

4. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• A design patent’s scope is based on a drawing or set of
drawings, which, through the use of dotted lines, solid lines,
and shading, can specifically claim protection over certain
elements of a design.
• Specific materials, colors and even precise gradients can be
expressly claimed.
• These tools allow patent holders to prevent infringers from
copying the most important aspects of their designs.
• For example, Google was issued a design patent for its Internet
home screen in 2009. The term “Google” has been explicitly
disclaimed-by the use of dotted lines-which means that the
patent would be infringed if someone copied the entire layout
but replaced “Google” with another name. This strategy
protects the design from careful infringement.
• contd…
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

5. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS
contd…

6. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• Design patents protect the "look and feel" of a GUI.
• A design can obtain design patent protection even if
it is simultaneously ornamental and functional, so
long as it is not purely functional.
• Design patents are extremely narrow, and a design
patent will cover only the exact or almost exact
appearance of that GUI.
• One can potentially avoid infringing a design patent
simply by changing appearance, text content and/or
relative placements of GUI elements.
contd..
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

7. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• STRONG DESIGN PATENTS : THE POWER OF COLOR
contd..
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

8. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
contd..

9. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• In addition to a Graphical User Interface, one can also protect
an Animated User Interface with a design patent.
• To protect an animation, successive images of the animation to
be filed as separate color images.
contd..
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

10. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• Apple iPhone Vs Android
contd..
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

11. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• WHETHER ICONS OR GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
CAN BE REGISTERED FOR DESIGN PATENT IN
CHINA
VS
• Apple filed a design patent application on July 26, 2010 for a
portable display device with graphical user interface.
• However, pursuant to the Patent Examination Guidelines,
patterns that are displayed only when the device is powered on,
such as icons, are not patentable. Thus, SIPO denied Apple’s
application.
• Apple filed an appeal with the Reexamination Board, but the
Board sustained the rejection decision.
• contd…
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

12. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• Apple then filed for the administrative litigation.
• The Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court believed that
icons, although being able to display only when the portable
electronic device is turned on, are still a design for the overall
appearance of the portable device, which meets both
requirements of industrial applicability and aesthetic appeal as a
design patent.
• The First Intermediate Court then granted Apple the design
patent protection for icons.
• The Reexamination Board appealed, but was overruled in the
second instance at Beijing High Court.
• SIPO has amended the Patent Examination Guidelines and put
into effect on May 1st 2014, making graphical user interface
patentable.
PATENTABILITY OF GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE DESIGNS

13. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
COPYRIGHT PROTECTION:
• Copyright can be used to prohibit others from reproducing
individual elements of a GUI (e.g., icons, text, dialogue boxes),
but only to the extent that the individual elements are original
expressions.
• Additionally, copyright can keep others from reproducing exact
or near exact copies of a compilation of those individual
elements (e.g., the GUI as a whole).
• Individual elements of a GUI design are typically protected as
pictorial and graphic works, while a GUI as a whole is often
protected as an audiovisual work.
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

14. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
COPYRIGHT PROTECTION:
• Apple Computer v. Microsoft Corp.
• In Apple Computer v. Microsoft, the court found that
Microsoft's Windows 2.03 and 3.0 did not infringe Apple's
graphical user interface, because a license given to Microsoft by
Apple made it unnecessary for the court to determine whether
Apple's user interface should receive copyright protection.
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

15. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
CONCLUSION
• As GUIs will continue to be instrumental in the technology
marketplace, providing proper balance of intellectual property
protection will be necessary to adequately spur further GUI
innovation. There should be well defined legal theory to support
innovation and various forms of IP protections, with that one
will know how to protect their innovations without risk. Also,
the industry’s attention will be diverted from its obsession of
recreating existing successful designs, towards innovation,
which, after all, is the ultimate purpose and the constitutional
goal upon which intellectual property protection is based.
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

16. CHENNAI
3rd Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 2498 4821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 6546 2400
COIMBATORE
BB1, Park Avenue,
# 48, Race Course Road,
Coimbatore - 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 – 6552921
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com