What is the difference between a Trademark “TM” and a Copyright ?
They are both generally described as intellectual property or intangible property because they are property rights that cannot be touched or felt like personal property (car) or real property (land). However, the terms have different meanings and define different things. A mark (, TM, SM) protects a word, phrase, symbol and/or design used with a product or service on the market. A trademark is often referred to as a brand. Trademark rights may continue indefinitely, as long as the mark is neither abandoned by the trademark owner, nor loses its significance in the market place as a trademark by becoming a generic term, (e.g. escalator, linoleum, zipper). Your web site name, business name and logo should be trademarked to protect it against another business claiming the trademark using your name, logo and or web page and shutting down your site. A copyright () protects the original way an idea is expressed, not the idea itself. It includes artistic, literary, dramatic or musical works pr
