What are the differences among patents, trademarks, and copyrights?

Daniel Lopez • October 22, 2021

Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights are different types of intellectual property. Although they are quite different, many people confuse them. Here's a quick rundown on the differences and to what types of creations they apply.
Patents Think of building a better mousetrap. Patents protect physical objects or ways of doing things that you have invented (called a “utility patent”). A patent can also protect the ornamental design of an object (called a “design patent”). A patent gives you the right, for a period of time, to prevent others from making or doing things your way, allowing you to capitalize on your investment in designing, creating, and marketing your invention. In return, you must teach the world how you do it.

Trademarks A trademark is a word, logo, phrase, sound, color, or anything else that serves to identify the source of goods and services. When consumers see your trademark attached to your goods or services, they can quickly understand that your company is the one providing it. And that can carry a lot of weight, because they know the quality and service you provide.
Copyrights Copyrights do not protect your ideas, but the way they are expressed. For example, original works of authorship in such works as paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays, and more.

Trade Secret A trade secret is something proprietary that is not disclosed publicly. Shhhhhh.

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