If you are a New York business owner, you know that the protection of valuable intellectual property entails a deeper understanding of associated designations. Here at Cox Padmore Skolnik & Shakarchy, we understand how important your property is to you and the questions you may have concerning the types of protection that are available. This involves knowing the difference between trademarks, copyrights and patents, which will provide you with a better comprehension of your available options.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, service marks are used to protect any services offer by your company, while protection of proprietary goods is made possible through trademarks. This designation covers any branding that identifies your company (the company of origin) for a particular good or service. A trademark can include specific words or phrasing, as well as design elements like symbols and logos.
You may be concerned about length of protection when it comes to copyrights. In general, protections can extend up to 120 years if an author is anonymous or hired by another group to produce a work. In cases where an author is known, copyrights offer coverage for the lifetime of the author along with an additional 70 years. A copyright is used to protect actual works sprung from your imagination. For instance, movies, novels, songs and other artistic works are all eligible for copyrights.
The duration of a patent is dictated by the type of patent in question; If you are patenting a utility or a plant, the patent will be good for a 20-year span, while design patents offer protection for 14 years. Protections for inventions are made possible via patents, and this can include a range of items, from chemical compounds to new breeds of flowers. Learn more about copyrights and trademarks by visiting our website.