What Is the Difference Between Common Intellectual Property Terms?

Understanding intellectual property (IP) is essential for protecting your invention and navigating the complex world of patents, copyrights, and trademarks. At Invent2Market, we help inventors safeguard their ideas by demystifying these key concepts.

Patents

A patent provides exclusive rights to an inventor for a novel, useful, and non-obvious invention. Patents prevent others from making, using, or selling your invention without permission. There are three types:

• Utility patents: Cover functional inventions like machines, processes, or compositions.

• Design patents: Protect the appearance of a product, such as its shape or decorative design.

• Plant patents: Safeguard new plant varieties reproduced asexually.

Patents last up to 20 years (utility) or 15 years (design) and require filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Trademarks

Trademarks protect branding elements such as names, logos, and slogans. They help consumers identify the source of goods or services. Unlike patents, trademarks can last indefinitely with proper use and renewal, providing ongoing protection for your brand identity.

Copyrights

Copyrights protect creative works such as books, music, software, and artwork. They grant the creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display their work. Copyright protection lasts for the creator’s lifetime plus 70 years, or 95 years for corporate works.

Choosing the Right Protection

The right IP protection depends on your invention. If you’ve developed a physical product, consider a patent. For branding, a trademark is key. For artistic or software works, copyright is your best bet.

Invent2Market offers expert assistance in identifying and securing the right IP protections for your invention. Contact us to ensure your ideas are protected from concept to market.