What is the difference between a copyright and a trademark?

The main difference between a copyright and a trademark is the type of protection they provide. A copyright protects original works of authorship, such as literature, music, art, and computer software. It grants the author of the work exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display the work. In Kansas, copyright protection generally lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies the source of a company’s goods or services. It serves to protect the rights of the company to use the mark and prevent others from using it or a confusingly similar mark. In Kansas, trademark protection lasts as long as the mark is in use. Another key difference between a copyright and a trademark is that copyright protection automatically arises when an original work is created, whereas a trademark must be registered in order to receive protection. It is important to note that a company may have both copyrights and trademarks. For instance, a company may have trademarks for its business name and logo, while at the same time have copyright protection for a website or a series of products.

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