What is the difference between copyright and trade secret protection?

Copyright and trade secret protection are both forms of intellectual property law that help protect businesses and individuals. Copyright protection primarily applies to artistic and creative works such as books, music, movies, and paintings. It gives the creator of the work exclusive rights to use the work, copy it, and make money from it. Copyright protection lasts for a certain amount of time, depending on the jurisdiction. Trade secret protection, on the other hand, applies to confidential business information such as formulas, techniques, customer lists, and recipes. Trade secret law helps keep this information from becoming public and gives the holder of the information an advantage over their competitors. Trade secrets are protected for an indefinite amount of time, as long as the information is kept confidential. In South Carolina, copyright protection is governed by the South Carolina Copyright Act of 1975, while trade secrets are protected by the South Carolina Trade Secrets Act of 1994. The two forms of protection are different in their scope and their purpose, but they both help protect businesses and individuals from the unauthorized use of their creative works or confidential information.

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What is the difference between copyright and trade secret protection?

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