What's the difference between a trademark, a patent and a copyright?

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Written by Igor Demcak

Founder & Trademark Attorney

Trademarks, patents, and copyrights are all forms of IP protection. However, each of these covers a different type of asset and protection.

Trademarks protect brand identity (things like brand names, logos, slogans, etc.) to distinguish the source of goods or services. For businesses, trademarks prevent others from using confusingly similar brand elements, and they signal a single identifiable source for your goods and services.

Copyright protects original creative works (things like literature, music, drama, and other creative outputs). This type of protection prevents unauthorized copying or adaptation of artistic works.

Patents protect new inventions ( things like the technical functionality or mechanism of a product). Patents give inventors exclusive rights to use those inventions and prevent imitation of the underlying technology.

You can read more about intellectual property protection options in our article Trademarks, copyrights, designs & patents.

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