An article in the March 2010 issue of Patent World, published ten times a year by Informa, touches on design protection in the United States. "Revisiting design patents -- good protection at a reasonable cost", by John S. Pratt and Michael A. Bertelson (Kilpatrick Stockton), explains that design patents are cheaper and more straightforward both to obtain and to enforce than are utility patents: they provide "substantial protection against competitors" (Well, that's good news! I'm not sure I'd want one if they didn't) and "should not be overlooked" (Class 99 overlooks nothing). For those who appreciate the aethetics of law journal publication, there are some good rabbit sketches too ...

You can see the contents of the current issue of Patent World here.