How to protect style patents in jewelry processing
If the jewelry style you need to process is already sold in the market and belongs to an existing design, applying for a patent again would be troublesome.
Furthermore, the product style has not been sold or publicly disclosed yet. You need to further analyze the differences between the product design and the accessories already sold. If the differences are not significant, applying for a design patent is meaningless. I suggest not applying anymore.
Secondly, how can we prevent competitors from imitating products?
Sign a contract with the jewelry manufacturer before the transaction, specifying who owns the patent application rights and agreeing not to disclose trade secrets.
For example, the transactions or contracts signed between you and jewelry manufacturers may belong to one of the following types: contract of contract, commissioned development contract, or cooperative development contract. The general contracting party (i.e. your party) has the right to apply for or have patent rights in the contract; If there is no agreement in the commissioned development contract, the ownership of patent application rights generally belongs to the developer (i.e. jewelry manufacturer); If there is no agreement in the cooperative development contract, both parties shall jointly own it. But the contract can stipulate that it belongs to either party or is jointly owned by both parties.
Therefore, in order to avoid disputes in the later stage, it is best to stipulate in the contract in the early stage which party owns the patent application right or other intellectual property rights.
In addition, if you are certain that your design is feasible, you can first submit a design patent application and then have the jewelry factory process it (contract price).
Finally, if you are still concerned that the jewelry styles processed and produced in the jewelry factory have not yet been launched for sale, there are similar styles available for sale on the market. You can sign a confidentiality agreement when the jewelry manufacturer signs the contract
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