35 USC § 173 - Term of design patent

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t35/s173"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "35 USC § 173 - Term of design patent"
title_number: 35
title_name: "PATENTS"
section_number: "173"
section_name: "Term of design patent"
chapter_number: 16
chapter_name: "DESIGNS"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PATENTABILITY OF INVENTIONS AND GRANT OF PATENTS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2025-12-12"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(July 19, 1952, ch. 950, 66 Stat. 805; Pub. L. 97–247, § 16, Aug. 27, 1982, 96 Stat. 321; Pub. L. 103–465, title V, § 532(c)(3), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4987; Pub. L. 112–211, title I, § 102(7), Dec. 18, 2012, 126 Stat. 1532.)"
---


# § 173. Term of design patent

Patents for designs shall be granted for the term of 15 years from the date of grant.

---

**Source Credit**: (July 19, 1952, ch. 950, 66 Stat. 805; Pub. L. 97–247, § 16, Aug. 27, 1982, 96 Stat. 321; Pub. L. 103–465, title V, § 532(c)(3), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4987; Pub. L. 112–211, title I, § 102(7), Dec. 18, 2012, 126 Stat. 1532.)

### Historical and Revision Notes

Based on Title 35, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 77 (R.S. 4931). Language is changed slightly.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2012— substituted “15 years” for “fourteen years”.

1994— inserted “from the date of grant” after “years”.

1982— substituted “Patents for designs shall be granted for the term of fourteen years” for “Patents for designs may be granted for the term of three years and six months, or for seven years, or for fourteen years, as the applicant, in his application, elects”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2012 Amendment

Amendment by  effective on the later of the date that is 1 year after , or the date that the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs enters into force with respect to the United States (), and applicable only to certain applications filed on and after that effective date and patents issuing thereon, see , set out as a note under .

### Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

Amendment by  effective 6 months after , and applicable to all patent applications filed in the United States on or after that effective date, with provisions relating to earliest filed patent application, see section 534(b)(1), (3) of , set out as a note under .

### Effective Date of 1982 Amendment

Amendment by  effective , see , set out as a note under .