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Copyright, Fair Use, and Intellectual Property Resources: Patents & Trademarks

What are patents?

Patents are intellectual property rights and protections for inventions including processes, machines, tools, pharmaceuticals, and even asexually produced plants.  The invention must be new, have utility, and non-obvious.

More on patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office

What are trademarks?

Trademarks are protections for brands including words, logos, symbols, designs, and images that distinguish one entity from another.  Service marks (often referred to as trademarks) are the words, symbols, logos, designs, and images representing services from an entity.

More on trademarks from the US Patent and Trademark Office

Trademark Resources

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