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::	Trademark Law
::	Uses
::	Protectable Marks
::	Consumer Protection
::	Dilution
::	Policing Trademarks
::	Comparisons to Copyright and Patent Law
::	Conflict of Trademarks and Domain Names
::	Domain Names used as Trademarks

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DID YOU KNOW?

In 2001, 181,693 Trademark applications were submitted in the United States.

Of those 181,693 applications, 124,016 were accepted.

Comparisons to Copyright and Patent Law - Contact a Lawyer

Comparisons to Copyright and Patent Law : What is it?

While trademarks protect indications of product source, copyrights protect literary and artistic works, and patents protect useful designs. While those concepts of intellectual property may be separable in theory, in practice many features of products may be placed in more than one category. The shape of a bottle may be eligible for patent protection, for example, but also may come to serve as a unique indicator of the manufacturer and thus as trade dress. Titles and character names from books or movies may also be protectable trademarks while the work as a whole falls under copyright protection. Especially in countries such as the U.S. where copyrights and patents eventually expire into the public domain but trademarks do not, drawing these lines can be very necessary but extremely difficult for lawyers and judges.

Unlike patents and copyrights, which in theory are granted for one-off fixed terms, trademarks remain valid as long as the owner actively uses and defends them and maintains their registrations with their jurisdiction's trademark registry. This often involves paying a periodic renewal fee.

Unlike trademarks, there is no "abandonment" in copyright or patent law. A copyright or patent holder may "sit on" his creation and prevent its use. Additionally, copyright and patent owners do not necessarily have to actively police their rights. However, a failure to bring a timely infringement suit against a known infringer may give the defendant a defense of implied consent or estoppel when suit is finally brought.

Read More on Trademark Law at:

Trademark law Information

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