Difference between Patent, Trademark & Copyright

We all have often heard the terms “Patent”, “Trademarks” & “Copyrights”. But what exactly they all are about & what are their significance for an organization. Below is the explanation

Definitions

1) Trademark

According to United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), a trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others whereas a service mark is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than goods.

Example of Trademark

Example of Service mark

Each time you use your mark, it is best to use a designation with it.  If registered use the ® symbol after your mark.  If not registered, you may use TM for goods or SM for services, to indicate that you have adopted this as a “common law” trademark or service mark.

2) Patents

As stated by Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a patent is a right granted to the owner of an invention that prevents others from making, using, importing or selling the invention without his permission.

A patentable invention can be a product or a process that gives a new technical solution to a problem. It can also be a new method of doing things, the composition of a new product, or a technical improvement on how certain objects work.

3) Copyrights

A copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws to the authors of “original works of authorship.” This includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other creative works. Material not protected by copyright (or otherwise protected) is available for use by anyone without the author’s consent. A copyright holder can prevent others from copying, performing or otherwise using the work without his or her consent.

To know Patent, Trademarks & Copyrights in a video form, watch the below video

https://youtu.be/AQpaKJjEQR8

Source – USPTO