In October 2025, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Guidelines for Multiple Applications of Design Patents. The core provisions regarding multiple applications of partial design patents are summarized as follows:
(1)Basic Principles and Exclusive Pathway for Multiple Applications Applications for partial design patents shall also comply with the principle of "one design per application". Partial designs of a product cannot be filed as a multiple application in the form of a set of product designs. Therefore, multiple applications for partial designs are limited to the scenario where multiple similar designs of the same product are filed together.
(2)Criteria for Determining a "Single Design" Composed of Multiple Partial Components Multiple independent partial components on the same product without physical connection may be deemed a "single design" for patent application if they meet specific relevance requirements, which fall into two categories:
①Functional Relevance: Each partial component must cooperate with one another to achieve the same core function (e.g., the left and right earpieces of a pair of headphones).
②Design Relevance: Each partial component shall embody a unified design concept visually, manifested through symmetry, correspondence, repeated arrangement, or consistent styling (e.g., the symmetric decorative panels on the front and back of a suitcase). (3)Core Requirements for Multiple Applications of "Multiple Similar Partial Designs" Multiple similar variants of partial designs for the same product may be filed as a multiple application, provided that two strict conditions are satisfied simultaneously:
①Product Identity: The overall product to which all partial designs are attached must be identical in all respects. The determination shall be based on the name and main purpose of the product. For example, partial designs for "mobile phone screen" belong to the same product; whereas partial designs for "mobile phone screen" and "mobile phone back cover", even if they belong to the same mobile phone, generally do not satisfy this requirement due to the different protected parts.
②Design Similarity: A basic design shall be designated, and all other designs must be similar to it. In the assessment, in addition to considering the similarity degree of design elements such as shape, pattern, and color (e.g., only minor local modifications, conventional designs, or color substitutions), it is particularly critical to examine whether the position and/or proportional relationship of the partial design within the overall product has only undergone routine and predictable changes. If a design variant involves a different part of the product or results in a significant difference in the overall visual effect, it cannot be determined as a similar design.