Copyright or patent?

Figuring out if your business needs a copyright or patent

What is a copyright? Is there any difference between a copyright and a patent? What is a patent? Does my business need a copyright or a patent? These are some of the questions that every e-commerce business owner must ask themselves. If you have just started your business you should find out what are the differences between patents and copyrights. You should understand why your business needs to establish a copyright for its brands.

What is a copyright?

According to the United States, Patent and trademark office copyrights are intended to protect original works. If an individual registers a copyright of their work with the United States trademark office it is intended to prevent people from infringing on their work. If someone infringes on your work, you will be able to sue them for copyright infringement. This also helps grow the economy by promoting creativity.
Copyrights exist for both creators and anonymous individuals.  They are long-lasting. For people who have been credited with creating original works, their copyrights are protected for the rest of their lives plus 70 years after their death. If the work was created anonymously then it is protected for 95 years from the date of publication. They can also be protected for 120 years from the date of creation.

How does a copyright differ from a patent?

Here is a bullet list that details of the difference between trademarks and patents:
Copyright: Literature (books and poems), musical and drama (movies, songs, and plays), artistic, graphic, architectural, and sculptures all can be copyright protected.
Patents: Patents are inventions that can be considered useful to the general public. They include stuff such as machines, board games, computer software, furniture design, chemicals and medicine