Copyright and Trademark

In general, lots of people confuse the words “Copyright” and “Trademark”. They do not know how to copyright or rather, trademark their logo, blogs or business names. The word copyright has been used alongside trademark to make things a little easier to understand.

Copyright is not the same as trademark. According to the United States Copyright Office, a copyright provides protection against plagiarism and exists from the minute a composition is created. It provides protection to tangible works in music, art, design, literature, drama or film; copyright authorizes the author of an original, tangible form of work to be the legal owner of his creation. Though copyright exists as soon as an idea takes up a tangible form, it is still preferred to register the work with the United States Copyright Office which asserts the owner’s legal authority by making it public to discourage the infringement of copyright. Some people also publish copyrights on their work for further security of their possession. Registering a document is not very expensive and costs around $35 - $85 but renewal of the copyright prior to its expiry date, getting copies of copyright facts and searching copyright records is more expensive.

A trademark on the other hand, protects names, logos, or even a business idea. A trademark is used to protect patents, trademarks and ideas. It is therefore handled by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). After becoming a trademark, your word, phrase, logo, design or symbol can use a Service Mark (™, SM ,®) legally.

Using Service Marks with your logos is another way of asserting ownership and discouraging at least 75% of possible violators of your copyright. Claiming ownership lets you use ™ and SM symbols and registering with the federal trademark registration allows you to use ® symbol with your logo or business name.

Registering your work legally gives you the advantage of defending yourself in the federal court against any case of plagiarism. When a record is present with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it is easier to assert the owner’s authority.

Any original work created should be registered as soon as possible to avoid any possibilities of infringement. Whether it be trademark or copyright, they both confirm the authority of the owner legally. Copyright is the basic registration of a tangible, original work with the United States Copyright Office while trademark is the protection of words, phrase, logos, symbols, business names, or design provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).