What is Intellectual Property Rights: Understanding the difference between TM(Trademark), R(Registered) and C(Copyright)?
An intellectual property rights is classified as the legal ownership of the intangible assets and proprieties by human intellect. It could be artwork, pieces of music or literature. In fact, it varies from country to country.
Some countries might be found to recognize more than others that might include trademark, trade secrets and patents. However, you need to understand three major categories that are TM (Trademark), R(Registered) and C(Copyright).
Trademark (TM):
Generally, trademarks are devices, symbols, names and words that are assigned to differentiate one product manufacturer or seller from others. There can be specific and distinctive symbols, names and words assigned as a trademark that comes with the symbol ™.
This, in fact, plays a vital role in notifying other companies that the name or symbol is the property of another company.
But trademark dies not necessarily protects the uniqueness of the symbol. If such kind of cases takes place, then the lawsuit will require registration of the trademark because without registration you cannot defend your ownership. That ultimately leads us to understand the registration process if the trademark.
Registration or R (Registered) trademark:
If you want to protect the trademark, then you have to register the trademark the registered trademark with have symbol ® against the name or the word or the symbol. After registration, any company that uses the same kind of logo, word, and symbol frothier business will be considered as the trademark infringement.
The company can file a lawsuit against the company that has used the trademark unlawfully.
Hence, it is important that before you register trademark, you need to search the availability of the logo and symbol on the global database for the trademark registration process, If you want to get a trademark registered in for local business, then you have to follow a certain path and for international trading, there is a different path altogether.
The process of the trademark registration can take up to 6months and it can be valid for 10 years at a stretch.
C (Copyright):
Copyright is designated to music, art, drama and literature for their original work. As soon as the work of the art gets over, it automatically gets the copyright. You need to register the copyrights according to the law of the land.
Generally, the copyright comes with the attached symbol ©. Copyright allows owners of the property to publish or display it publically and share it with others for business purposes.
The importance of understanding the difference:
- It would help you in eliminating the copyright infringement cases by other companies thus safeguarding your own rights
- It can also help you in staying away from copyright issues that you might do otherwise unknowingly, which could be risky
- It would help you in operating in the market with a sense of distinctiveness and uniqueness
Whether you are a startup or you are planning to expand your business beyond the local borders, you need to understand the difference between these here distinct states of affairs from the legal viewpoint. This will help you to be safe and safeguard your uniqueness of the business against threats.
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