# MPEP § 1504.01: Statutory Subject Matter for Designs

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01

## Section

- **Citation:** MPEP § 1504.01
- **Heading:** Statutory Subject Matter for Designs
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** USPTO MPEP / Chapter 1500 - Design Patents / MPEP § 1504.01

## Text

35 U.S.C. 171
Patents for designs.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever invents any new, original,
and ornamental design for an article of manufacture may obtain a patent
therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
(b) APPLICABILITY OF THIS TITLE.—The provisions of
this title relating to patents for inventions shall apply to patents for
designs, except as otherwise provided.
(c) FILING DATE.—The filing date of an application
for patent for design shall be the date on which the specification as
prescribed by section 112 and any required drawings are filed.
The language “new, original and ornamental design for an article of
manufacture” set forth in
35 U.S.C. 171
has been interpreted
by the case law to include at least three kinds of designs:
(A) a design for an ornament, impression, print, or picture applied
to or embodied in an article of manufacture (surface indicia);
(B) a design for the shape or configuration of an article of
manufacture; and
(C) a combination of the first two categories.
See
In re Schnell,
46 F.2d 203, 8 USPQ 19 (CCPA
1931);
Ex parte Donaldson,
26 USPQ2d 1250 (Bd. Pat. App. & Int.
1992).
A picture standing alone is not patentable under
35 U.S.C. 171
. The
factor which distinguishes statutory design subject matter from mere picture or
ornamentation,
per se
(i.e., abstract design), is the embodiment of
the design in an article of manufacture. Consistent with
35 U.S.C. 171
,
case law and USPTO practice, the design must be shown as applied to or embodied in an
article of manufacture.
A claim to a picture, print, impression, etc.
per
se,
that is not applied to or embodied in an article of manufacture should
be rejected under
35
U.S.C. 171
as directed to nonstatutory subject matter. The
following paragraphs may be used.

## Nearby sections

- [MPEP § 1501 Statutes and Rules Applicable](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1501.md)
- [MPEP § 1502 Definition of a Design](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1502.md)
- [MPEP § 1502.01 Distinction Between Design and Utility Patents](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1502.01.md)
- [MPEP § 1502.02 Design Patent Practitioner Bar](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1502.02.md)
- [MPEP § 1503 Elements of a Design Patent Application Filed Under 35 U.S.C. chapter 16](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1503.md)
- [MPEP § 1503.01 Specification](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1503.01.md)
- [MPEP § 1503.02 Drawing](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1503.02.md)
- [MPEP § 1504 Examination](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01 Statutory Subject Matter for Designs](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01.md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01(a) Computer-Generated Electronic Images](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01(a).md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01(b) Design Comprising Multiple Articles or Multiple Parts Embodied in a Single Article](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01(b).md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01(c) Lack of Ornamentality](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01(c).md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01(d) Simulation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01(d).md)
- [MPEP § 1504.01(e) Offensive Subject Matter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01(e).md)

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S1504.01. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.