WHATS THE DIFFERENCE PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS/TRADEMARKS ?
Patents give the exclusive right to make, use and sell the idea of an invention. To be eligible for patent protection, an invention must be new (never before discovered) and unobvious (not just a logical next step). A patent grants the owner the sole right to make or sell the invention for 20 years. Copyrights protect the expression of original ideas or works of art. Works of art protected include books, plays, movies, paintings, sculptures, computer software, songs, etc. A modification of a previous expression of art by another individual can often be copyrighted. Copyrights are recorded by the Library of Congress and generally give the owner exclusive rights to the work for the authors lifetime plus 70 years. Trademarks distinguish a company’s products or services from those of its competitors. A significant difference between trademark and copyrights and patents is that they may be renewed over and over again and can thus if properly maintained can be owned in perpetuity.
