A Patent is the official granting of intellectual property rights to the inventor of a product, device, or process. Patents are granted by the U.S. government?s Patent and Trademark Office, usually for a term of 20 years, and give the patent holder exclusive rights to use, manufacture, and market the invention.

A Trademark is any word, name, or symbol used in commerce to identify and distinguish a business's product or merchandise, and to indicate their source. A trademark can be considered a business?s brand name, and use of a trademark without permission can be considered infringement of the trademark holder's rights. Trademarks are registered with and granted by the U.S. government?s Patent and Trademark Office.

Copyright
A Copyright is protection granted to authors of original authorship such as literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, and computer software, as well as performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and broadcasters in their radio and television programs. Example: The creators of your favorite music CD, movie, or computer game have a copyright on their work. Copyrights last for the life of an author plus 50 years.