2 – Trademarks

In contrast, you will need a federal trademark registration for a word, name, symbol, or device that is used by your company while you are selling goods or services in commerce. Your mark must be used to indicate the source of the goods or services; and to distinguish them from the goods/services of others.

3 – Copyrights

Lastly, you will need a copyright if you have an original literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, or other intellectual work (e.g. song, book, sculpture, etc.). It gives you the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.

Overview

As a business owner, you may have a product that may need all three rights protected. For example, if you have come up with a new design for a motor, the innovative concept of your motor will need to protected using a utility patent. The trademark that you plan to use when you sell the motor to the vehicle manufacturer will need to be federally registered as a trademark. Additionally, the instruction manual may need to be registered at the Copyright Office as a copyrighted literary work.

Can you think of a few things that need to be protected for your business?

If you have any questions, please feel free to schedule a consult below. We would be more than happy to answer your questions.