What is the difference between copyright and patent protection?

Copyright protection and patent protection are two types of intellectual property rights in the state of California, and the main difference between the two is their purpose. Copyright protection is used to protect the form of expression of creative work such as books, songs, photos, art, and movies. Copyright holders can control the use of their work for a period of time, usually the lifetime of the author plus 70 years. They can do this by restricting people from reproducing, displaying, or adapting the work without permission. Patent protection is used to protect inventions. A new invention must be useful, novel, and non-obvious to be eligible for patent protection. Patents are usually granted to inventors for a period of 20 years and give the inventor the exclusive right to make, use, and sell their invention. Because copyright and patent protection have different purposes, the rights they grant to creators also differ. Copyright protection provides creators with the exclusive right to control the use of their work, while patent protection gives inventors exclusive rights to their inventions. Therefore, copyright protection does not provide protection for an inventor’s invention, and patent protection does not provide protection for creative work.

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