What is a Trademark?

A brand identifier can be a name, a logo, a slogan, etc. The Nike “swoosh” and the Starbucks’ woman are both identifiers which identify those brands. Trademarks protect brand identifiers. Trademarks ensure that no one else can use your brand identifier. This helps prevent third-party brand tarnishment, confusion, or dilution, which...
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How Do I Get a Copyright?

Step One: Determine Whether the Work Can be Copyrighted  In order to obtain a copyright, you will first need to decide whether the thing you wish to copyright can be copyrighted. A copyright is a form of protection granted by the United States federal government which applies...
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Intellectual Property Basics

“Intellectual property” covers a wide array of different protections for intangible property. These different protections are based upon which type of intangible intellectual property you seek to protect. Intellectual property can be divided into three main areas: patents, copyrights, and trademarks. On the margins, some people also group trade secrets and the rights of privacy/publicity into intellectual property, but...
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