What is trademark

Copyright owners and those who have the authority can exclusively reproduce the associated work for monetary gain for a specific period of time—usually until 70 years after their death. Software, art, film, music, and designs are just some of the examples of work that are covered by copyrights. Brand names, slogans, and logos, however, are not covered. In order to get a copyright and prevent copyright infringement , the filer must make an application with the U.

Copyright Office. Business Essentials. Financial Statements. Small Business. Tools for Fundamental Analysis. How To Start A Business. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice.

Popular Courses. Business Business Essentials. Business Essentials Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions. What Is a Trademark? Key Takeaways A trademark is an easily recognizable symbol, phrase, or word that denotes a specific product. It legally differentiates a product or service from all others of its kind and recognizes the source company's ownership of the brand.

What can you trademark? How do you get started? Intellectual property protection can be a vague and complex area of law and business.

The US recognizes three official ways to protect intellectual property rights: 1 trademarks 2 patents and 3 copyrights. In general, trademarks apply to logos, symbols, and branding. Patents apply to inventions and innovations, while copyrights apply to creative works.

A trademark protects the specific, unique name, logo, and symbols pertaining to your products or business brand. Trademark protection may apply to business names, symbols, logos, sounds, and even colors that are emblematic of one specific brand.

Think of the bite-marked fruit associated with Apple computers; that specific symbol is trademarked. Both the distinctive orange color and the familiar Apple logo create immediate brand and product recognition for consumers.

Patents are intended to protect inventors and their innovations. Patents are granted to new products, technical solutions, and scientific processes. You may also be able to patent meaningful improvements on existing technology or processes. Copyright protection applies to art, books, music, movies, and other creative works. The owner of the copyrighted material holds the exclusive legal right to distribute the creative work, perform the work, or disseminate the work in the public domain.

Registered copyrighted material is managed by the Library of Congress. In general, a copyright lasts for the lifetime of the creator , plus 70 years. In general, you also have the right to grant licenses for the use of your intellectual property. Creative and unique trademarks are more effective and easier to protect. Read more about strong trademarks. You become a trademark owner as soon as you start using your trademark with your goods or services.

However, a registered trademark provides broader rights and protections than an unregistered one. As your business grows and you expand online, you might want more protection for your trademark and decide to apply for federal registration.

Registering your trademark with us means that you create nationwide rights in your trademark. Every time you use your trademark, you can use a symbol with it. You may use the registration symbol anywhere around the trademark, although most trademark owners use the symbol in a superscript or subscript manner to the right of the trademark.