If you created something out of your creative mind, something intangible such as ideas, inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, logos, images, is automatically considered your intellectual property. Intellectual property can be easily created, but it can also be the most difficult property to protect. Unlike traditional property, intellectual property is considered indivisible. There is a possibility that there is also a person who already thought of that also. If you created art and posted it online without any protection, other people who have an idea about intellectual law protection might steal your work and reap the full benefits of your creation.
To prevent that from happening, you have to know how intellectual property law works. Intellectual property needs a double amount of effort for it to be secured. There are numerous ways to protect your intellectual property. You can either hire a trademark lawyer or a copyright lawyer to help you with the process. Trademark and copyright are two ways to protect your intellectual property, but how do they differ from each other? Well, let’s find out.
What Does a Copyright Protect?
This intellectual property protection secures all original works which are automatically generated by the owner. If you are an artist who loves creating dramatic, artistic, literary, and musical works, then copyright is suitable for you. Copyright also protects other forms of original writing, such as novels or poetry. It also covers your research, songs, videos, computer software, song, ideas, architecture, or even discoveries.
As long as your creation has some preserved form, it must be secured under the protection of copyright. However, products that are considered intangible but have no preserved form, such as an unwritten or unrecorded speech, are not considered your intellectual property and cannot be copyrighted.
What does a trademark protect?
A trademark is intellectual property protection in charge of securing an intellectual property that distinguishes you from any particular brand. Examples of these are words, slogans, symbols, phrases, logos, business names, brand names, or anything that would distinguish your company from the rest of the competition. A trademark can be used when you want anything that essentially brands a business, identifies a product, or a company. But don’t be confused between a trademark and a service mark. Even though the trademark is the typical term to use that encompasses both trademarks and service marks, there is still a thin thread difference between them.
A service mark is specifically for distinguishing any kinds of services from one business to another. In other words, trademarks are used for marking in the course of doing business. A trademark will last forever, as long as you still have your company and you still continue using the branding, logo, symbol, etc.
Difference between Trademark and Copyright
Both intellectual property protectors can help you secure your intellectual property. They only differ in the types of property it covers for protection. Trademarks are more focused on protecting items that can help define a company or give them a name in the marketplace, such as a company brand, name, logos, or symbols. On the other hand, copyright protects literary works such as songs, novels, poetry, and many more.
They also differ in period date. Copyright will expire within a set period, while a trademark does not expire. As long as your company is still alive and you continue to use your brand, logo, symbol, or name, your trademark will always exist.
