Design patents are absolutely useful.[1] For large companies (Google, Apple, ...), other patents are useful defensively and as part of a war chest/patent portf

Design patents are absolutely useful.[1] For large companies (Google, Apple, ...), other patents are useful defensively and as part of a war chest/patent portfolio. For startups and inventors, they're probably OK but unlikely to prevent someone with deep pockets from eating your lunch and/or suing you to oblivion. The important defensive strategy is to be aware of related patents, though some are absurdly broad. Execution usually matters more than ideas. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_patent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_patent