A graphical user interface (GUI) refers to an interface
presented as a graph or image in a display which links to an
operating system. A user can perform an operation by clicking the
graph or image in the interface. A GUI is protected under copyright
and unfair competition law, and was acknowledged as a patentable
design under the Chinese Patent Law in 2014 by notice No. 68 of the
State Intellectual Property Office of China.
After the notice was issued, Qihoo 360 obtained the first design
patent for a GUI on August 14, 2014 and filed many design patent
applications covering GUIs, leading a trend of protecting GUIs
under patent law.
On April 22, 2016, Qihoo filed a complaint with the Beijing
Intellectual Property Court against Beijing Jiangmin New Science
& Technology, asserting that Jiangmin infringed three design
patents covering GUIs owned by Qihoo. According to the complaint,
Qihoo developed GUIs related to computer security optimisation and
obtained the patents.
