Could Patent Trolls steal your 3D Design?

[steved1]

I am not an attorney but have some practical general practical experience in this field. A design patent is called different things in different Countries. It is basically a commercial thing meaning you are trying to protect a product that you are making money from. It is basically protects you from being copied and someone else passing of there product as yours, but this patent is "aesthetic" and not an "inventive" patent. The aesthetic patent can be overcome with a few tweaks by someone to make it theres (just reality) If you come up with something you wish to commercialize, then that is a cost benefit analysis decision for you. As for you whether you wish to protect it or not that can be a long arduous, expensive and often unfruitful, futile exercise. If you have no or limited commercial interest and you simply want to have the work attributed to you (if it is yours) Then put it "out there" in competitions, posts (like on this site)" Twitter, Facebook Etc you are documenting your intellectual ownership, with an evidenced priority date. If all that fails, try to accept "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" Or put a copyright mark date and name somewhere in or on your 3D work. Or, keep it very private all up to you.

Cheers