Patents, trademarks and copyrights are different aspects of a single idea. They are various kinds of intellectual property that secure the rights of the owner of a creation. However, there are many key points of differences among the three.
One of the key differences is that the patents basically secure the tangible or conceptual inventions, while copyrights secure literary, artistic or other similar works. A trademark, on the contrary, can be a word or a symbolic design that can differentiate products of one company from the others.
Secondly, patents have strict rules and responsibilities, which offer the maximum safety against any sort of infringement. In other words, regardless the fact that the offender did or did not know that he was violating the patent, he will be considered responsible for the same. Therefore, patents accord higher protection than copyrights and trademarks that allow some exceptions like fair use etc.
A patent is generally awarded for a span of twenty years, after which it passes into the public domain. However, copyrights are normally valid longer, for about 60-70 years from creation and trademarks are valid even for centuries. Moreover, patents are more exhaustive and accord broader safety than others. This means that where copyrights safeguard only the expression of a particular idea, patents cover the processes as well as the fundamental principles behind a creation.
Lastly, since these 3 kinds of IPR offer different levels of protection for different things, the processes for submitting an application for them are also quite different. For example, the application for a patent has to have an appropriate disclosure of the product, whereas the one for copyright needs enclosing a replica of the original work itself, and the one for trademark just needs a proper search for confusingly similar marks that already exist.
One of the key differences is that the patents basically secure the tangible or conceptual inventions, while copyrights secure literary, artistic or other similar works. A trademark, on the contrary, can be a word or a symbolic design that can differentiate products of one company from the others.
Secondly, patents have strict rules and responsibilities, which offer the maximum safety against any sort of infringement. In other words, regardless the fact that the offender did or did not know that he was violating the patent, he will be considered responsible for the same. Therefore, patents accord higher protection than copyrights and trademarks that allow some exceptions like fair use etc.
A patent is generally awarded for a span of twenty years, after which it passes into the public domain. However, copyrights are normally valid longer, for about 60-70 years from creation and trademarks are valid even for centuries. Moreover, patents are more exhaustive and accord broader safety than others. This means that where copyrights safeguard only the expression of a particular idea, patents cover the processes as well as the fundamental principles behind a creation.
Lastly, since these 3 kinds of IPR offer different levels of protection for different things, the processes for submitting an application for them are also quite different. For example, the application for a patent has to have an appropriate disclosure of the product, whereas the one for copyright needs enclosing a replica of the original work itself, and the one for trademark just needs a proper search for confusingly similar marks that already exist.
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