LKQ v. GM became the defining 2024 design-patent decision when the en banc Federal Circuit replaced the long-running Rosen-Durling obviousness framework.
The court held that design-patent obviousness should be assessed under the statutory language of Section 103 using Graham and KSR principles, with attention to design-specific context.
For auto parts, consumer products, and industrial design, the decision changes both prosecution and enforcement risk. Designs that once survived under a rigid primary-reference test may face more flexible obviousness challenges.
The case deserves homepage-level treatment in any 2024 design-patent archive because it is one of the rare Federal Circuit decisions that immediately changed an entire category of IP practice.