What are the differences between
trademark, copyright, and patent?

Differences between trademark, copyright and patent

The differences between a trademark, copyright, and patent can be confusing. Here we will break down those differences and help you discover the best way to protect your intellectual property.

Trademark

Trademarks protect logos, names, and slogans for products or services in a marketplace. A trademark helps differentiate your business from your competitors, so that customers can tell your business apart. When you register a trademark, it also prevents other businesses from using your name or branding in your market, and piggy-backing off your success.

Copyright

Copyright protects an original creative work, such as a book, a film, a painting, or piece of music. Instead of protecting your branding, a copyright is meant to prevent others from reproducing your creative work without your permission. This gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to reproduce and sell the creative work.

Patent

According to the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO), a patent protects the right to “exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling [an] invention.” While copyright protects an actual creative work and its reproduction, patents protect inventions and how an item is used or how it looks. This prevents other companies or people from taking your invention ideas and implementing them into their own products and services. 

Now that you understand the differences between trademark, copyright, and patent, you’re better informed on the most common ways to protect intellectual property. If you are creating a brand, creative work, invention, or other IP and are in need of these protections, schedule a consultation with Funke Law Firm’s intellectual property attorneys to get started today!

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