SIPO Provides Design Patent Protection For GUIs

The State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) recently (promulgated on March 12) revised examination guidelines and removed the earlier prohibition against design patent protection for electrified screen designs.  Protection is also provided for dynamic (animated) graphical user interfaces. 

Designs which are unrelated to human-machine interaction or product function also remain unprotected under the revised examination guidelines. 

 The new examination guidelines will enter into effect as of May 1, 2014.

(Source: SIPO)