Trade dress refers to the look, shape, ornamental theme or color combination of a product or its packaging. When consumers distinguish a product from its competitor’s goods by the look of the product or by its packaging then the look…

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that allows consumers to identify the source of goods and to distinguish goods from those of others. Trademark rights can be used…

A copyright is a form of intellectual property that protects original works or art including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture and some designs. Copyright protection exists from the moment…

Under United States patent law, a provisional application is a legal document filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that allows an inventor to establish an early filing date, but which does not mature into an issued…

In general, a utility patent protects the way an invention is used and works. Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new and useful method, process, machine, device, manufactured item, or chemical compound – or any new…

A US design patent covers the ornamental design for an object. Generally speaking, a design patent is governed by the same rules as a utility patent. One of the biggest differences is that the term of a design patent is…