The Difference Between Copyright And Trademark
The Difference Between Copyright and Trademark A copyr ight protects an original work of authorship, such as a book or a song. A trademark protects a word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies the source of goods or services. The owner can use it to distinguish its products from those made by others. It does not protect an idea but instead only protects what the mark conveys about a product and its source. For example, if two companies produce blue jeans with similar qualities, then one company can trademark its logo on its product in order to distinguish itself from competitors. The shape of the Coca-Cola bottle, for instance, has been trademarked since 1977 because no other beverage manufacturer had a similarly shaped container. Likewise, Apple Corporation owns the rights to certain fonts used in its software and designs so as to distinguish itself from other manufacturers who offer products with similar features. However, these are examples of trademarks that are registered w