Quote:
Originally Posted by 530iDriver
Am I reading this correctly? The term for the patents is 14 years. The E90's design patent was filed at the end of 2004. Unless I am misinterpreting, the patent for the E90 just expired on November 30th, 2018?
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US patent laws provided that design patents filed prior to May 13, 2015 are protected for a term of 14 years.
Design patents filed on or after May 13, 2015 are accorded a term of 15 years.
So, yes, the E90 design patent has expired.
15 years is a fairly common "standard" metric of determining what is "current/contemporary" and what is "old/obsolete/classic".
Obviously, designs predate actual production, but it's also interesting to note that BMW Group Classic assumes responsibility of a model's parts catalog and factory support after the 15 year mark (from the end of production).
The E36/7, E39, E53 were the most recent platforms completely "acquired" by BMW Classic. The E46 is due for complete transfer in 2021.