| Patents | Copyrights | Trademarks | |
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What is it? |
A patent is a limited duration property right that protects an invention. In order to qualify for a patent, an invention must have patentable subject matter (any process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter), utility (useful), novelty (new), nonobviousness (the invention cannot have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill), and enablement (enough detail to be recreated from patent). A patent generally lasts 20 years from the date it on which the application was filed.
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A copyright is an intellectual property right that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. A copyright lasts for the duration of the author's life + 70 years. |
A trademark is a brand name. A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, used by merchants to distinguish their goods and services from those offered by others. The owner of a trademark has the exclusive right to use that brand name in the region in which it was trademarked. Forever? Need to check |
| Examples: | Inventions such as cell lines, machines, medicines | paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays | Brand names, words, phrases, chimes, bottle shapes |
