Introduction to teaching industrial design registration law

Industrial design registration law, also known as design patent law, are important parts of intellectual property (IP) protection. An IP law survey course usually teaches industrial design registration law after the patent law topic, since there is a close relation between these areas of law. In addition, trademark, copyright and unfair competition law may included some industrial design protection law. Several industry specific laws fit into the broad industrial design law category.

An alternative and sound approach to introducing IP law is to start with teaching industrial design law. Many of the basic IP law concepts and principles can be introduced in a coordinated and focused manner this way. The products used in these explanations will be familiar to persons who are not skilled in science and engineering. Those who have a science or engineering background will develop a broader understanding of IP law from this approach. This chapter will illustrate how industrial design law fits into each of the main areas of IP law. It will provide an outline for teaching industrial design law to introduce the main forms of IP law, as well as an introduction to teaching industrial design law in an IP survey course.

A unique feature of this chapter is that it starts with an international view, to study industrial design registration law. Teachers can develop their teaching outlines tailored to their country's international agreements obligations to protect industrial designs.