How do patents, trademarks, designs and copyright differ from each other?
It is important not to confuse the core elements of IP. Patents These concern the area of new inventions and the idea/thought behind the invention. Trade mark The registration of a trademark allows the protection of brand names and/or logos. A trademark can protect brand names/logos for both products and services. Design The appearance of a product can be protected by registering a design. The way a product work or the mechanics of it are not covered under such a registration. Copyright This protects the expression of ideas, not the idea itself. The ideas must be “original works of ownership and subsists in various types of work. The main forms are Literary , Musical and Artistic works.
