A common question I get is “can I patent my website’s graphical user interface (GUI)?” (i.e. “Can I patent the look of my website or my App?”) The answer is yes, you can patent your GUI with a 15-year nonprovisional design patent. A design patent protects the novel visual appearance of the image(s) on your site. The patent examination rules refer to GUIs as “2D Computer-Generated Icons,” which may be §101  eligible subject matter if they conform with certain rules  (see: USPTO MPEP §1504.01(a) Computer-Generated Electronic Images).