What is the difference between patents, copyrights, trademarks, and so on?
They are different forms of protection, and intended to protect different types of intellectual property: · Trade secret protection involves keeping technology and business information secret to prevent your competition from copying the technology information. This type of protection is typically implemented by restricting access to the information or technology, and using appropriate agreements to create obligations of confidentiality. · Patent protection is intended to protect utilitarian aspects (e.g., function, tangible results, cooperating structure) embodied in a product, process or service. · Design patent protection is intended to protect the non-utilitarian aspects (ornamental, nonfunctional) – appearance of a product. · Copyright protection is available for works of authorship – the expression of an idea (as opposed to the idea itself). · “Mask work” protection is intended to protect lay-outs embodied in semiconductor chips (masks) and prevents others from reproducing, import
