Services
Copyrights
Copyrights are the rights of authors in their works, such as written or graphic works, plays, music, and so forth. Federal registration of copyrights is done through the Library of Congress. Although an author has a copyright in a work from the moment it is created, federal registration provides increased benefits to the copyright owner, including the right to seek statutory damages for infringement.
Trademarks & Service Marks
Trademarks and Service Marks are words, artworks, symbols, or combinations of these which business use to identify their goods and services. These marks are important because they identify the source of the goods and services to the consumer. Businesses which provide quality goods and services seek to protect their trademarks and service marks because their marks identify the source of the goods and services for the consumer. Infringers illegally use duplicates or near-duplicates of legitimate trademarks in an effort to trade off of the goodwill and reputation of the legitimate marks.
Patents
A patent, in the sense of a United States Patent, is a grant from the United States Government of the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention described in the patent in the United States. The patent expires twenty years from the date the patent application is filed, although the patent will not be effective until it issues.