Trademark vs Copyright Protection

Trademark and copyright registrations are both issued by the federal government and protect two distinct types of intellectual property. Here are some of the differences:

A Trademark protects names, terms and symbols that are used to identify the source of goods and/or services on the market. In other words, a trademark lets the consumer distinguish one company’s offerings from another’s. Trademarks include brand names such as “Tide” and images such as  McDonald’s famous “M”.

A Copyright protects original creative works such as books, movies, songs, paintings, photographs, web content and choreography. As the owner of a federally registered copyright,  you can control how your work is reproduced, distributes and presented publicly.