Copyrights, trademarks, and patents are all forms of intellectual property protection, but they serve different purposes and protect different types of creations:
Copyright: Copyright protects original works. This includes literary works, music, art, software code, and more. Copyright gives the creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works based on the original creation. Copyright protection is automatic upon creation and lasts for the author’s lifetime plus an additional period after their death.
Trademark: A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of goods or services. It represents the brand and helps consumers recognise and differentiate products or services in the marketplace. Trademarks can be registered with government authorities to obtain additional legal protection, but common law rights also exist for unregistered trademarks based on actual use in commerce.
Patent: A patent protects inventions or discoveries of new and useful processes, machines, compositions of matter, or improvements thereof. It grants the inventor exclusive rights to prevent others from making, using, selling, or importing the patented invention for a limited period, usually 20 years from the filing date of the patent application. Patents are granted by government patent offices after a rigorous examination process to ensure the invention meets patentability criteria such as novelty, usefulness, and non-obviousness.
In summary, copyrights protect creative expressions, trademarks protect brands and their associated goodwill, and patents protect inventions and innovations. Each type of intellectual property serves distinct purposes and provides different forms of legal protection.
