Record the grant date of a design patent against the term rule
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Record whether a design patent has been granted and the grant date the file states. Leave the expiry year blank. Do not record a maintenance fee.
- What the lawyer must review
- Section 173 says patents for designs shall be granted for the term of 15 years from the date of grant. The amendment note says the 2012 act substituted 15 years for fourteen years. The statutory note on the same page says that amendment is effective on the later of the date that is one year after 18 December 2012, or the date the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs enters into force with respect to the United States, which the note gives as 13 May 2015, and that it applies only to certain applications filed on and after that effective date and patents issuing on them. You confirm which sentence applies to a patent granted before that change. Section 41(b)(3) says no fee may be established for maintaining a design or plant patent in force. You do not record a renewal fee for a design patent from that sentence. The tool states no expiry year.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Do not begin AI assistance until the responsible lawyer has defined and confirmed its permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Check the current court or regulator requirements, prescribed form and attachments for the intended document and filing.
- Review operative clauses in the complete document, including definitions, cross-references, schedules and inconsistencies with the instructions.
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.