What is the difference between a patent and a trade mark?

Patents and trademarks are both forms of intellectual property protection, but they serve different functions in California. A patent is a type of legal protection which gives its holder exclusive rights over an invention. When someone has a patent, they are granted exclusive rights over their invention and the right to prevent others from copying or using the invention without permission. A trademark is a type of legal protection which identifies a product or service and differentiates it from other products and services. A trademark is a recognizable symbol, word, slogan, or phrase that identifies a business as the source of a product or service. Basically, the difference between a patent and a trademark is that a patent is for inventions and a trademark is for branding. Patents provide legal protection for inventions and prevent others from copying or using the invention without permission. Trademarks are used to identify and differentiate products and services from other business. They help protect businesses from the use of their name, symbols, or other branding elements by another business.

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