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What are the 4 main types of intellectual property protection?

Senior Trademark Attorney

The four main types of IP protection are trademarks, copyrights, registered designs, and patents. Each type of IP protects a different kind of asset.

Trademarks protect brand identity by covering brand names, logos, slogans, and other distinctive signs that signal a single commercial source to consumers. They grant owners the exclusive right to commercially use brand elements in connection with certain goods and services.
Copyrights protect literary, musical, and artistic creations, preventing unauthorized copying and adaptation of the original work.
Registered designs protect the visual appearance of a product or service by covering packaging, surface patterns, product shapes, and similar elements. Registered designs provide legal grounds to act againt designs that create a similar impression.
Patents protect the technical aspects of new inventions, preventing imitation of the underlying functionality or mechanism described in the patent.

You can learn more about these IP protection tools in this article.

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