TRADEMARK	COPYRIGHT	PATENT	TRADE SECRET
noun/ˈtreɪdmɑːk/	noun/ˈkɒpɪrʌɪt/	noun/ˈpat(ə)nt,ˈpeɪt(ə)nt/	/noun/
SYNONYMS
Synonyms: Logo; emblem; sign; stamp; symbol; device; badge; crest; insignia; seal; shield; motif; hallmark; mark; figure; monogram; logotype	Synonyms: Proprietory, right of first publication, copyrighted	Synonyms: Licence, legal protection; right; permit; privilege; charter; franchise	Synonyms: Classified information; proprietary knowledge; secret formula
MEANING
A Trademark is a legally registered distinctive design, graphics, logo, symbols, words, or any combination thereof that uniquely identifies a firm and/or its goods or services, guarantees the item’s genuineness, and gives it owner the legal rights to prevent the trademark’s unauthorized use by another company without permission.	The Copyright is an exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material.	A Patent is a limited legal monopoly granted to an individual or firm to make, use, and sell its invention, and to exclude others from doing so. An invention is patentable if it is novel, useful, and non-obvious.	A trade secret is a formula, process, device, or other business information that companies keep secret to give them an advantage over their competitors. Examples of trade secrets are: soda formulas, customer lists, survey results, and computer algorithms.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The purpose of a trademark is to protect words, phrases and logos used in federally regulated commerce to identify the source of goods and/or services.	Copyright covers: a) works of art (2 or 3 dimensional), b) photos, pictures, graphic designs, drawings and other forms of images; c) songs, music and sound recordings of all kinds; d) books, manuscripts, publications and other written works; and e) plays, movies, shows, and other performance arts.	There are many reasons to get a patent, the first of which is to protect your invention and retain rights to it. With a patent in place, no one can infringe on your rights as the inventor of the product or the product itself. A patent is a must-have; otherwise anyone could create copies of your product and claim the invention as their own.	Unlike the other types of intellectual property, you can’t obtain protection by registering your trade secret. Instead, protection lasts only as long as you take the necessary steps to control disclosure and use of the information.