 Happy Coca-Cola Day! Well-known bottle design has an iconic shape to it. No matter where you go, it is recognized everywhere. That's because of two Chattanooga lawyers, Joseph Whitehead and Benjamin Thomas. They traveled to Atlanta to negotiate the contract in 1899 and after signing, they franchised rights throughout the United States. Coca-Cola patented the curvy bottle in 1916 with a design patent to protect their IP. For over 100 years, the iconic Coca-Cola bottle shape has been infamous in film, art, and for those of us who just want to have a refreshing taste of Coca-Cola.