Copyrights vs. Trademarks

Feb 9

People often confuse copyrights and trademarks. Both are types of intellectual property protection, but they serve different purposes and protect different types of work.

Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as books, podcasts, and courses.
Trademarks protect symbols, names, and slogans used to identify goods and services.

Because both deal with protection of creative works, it can be easy to mix them up.

However, as experts who serve corporate clients, it is important to understand how each contributes to maximizing the value of our businesses.

Time to Rumble

Let’s illustrate the difference with a quick example. You have an HR Consultancy called DiverCity Talent Solutions® that provides DEI training to corporate clients.

TRADEMARK ®️ PROTECTS: Your business’ name, DiverCity Talent Solutions®.
COPYRIGHT © PROTECTS: Your training materials, such as videos, slides, workbooks and guides.

Which assets provide value to your clients? In other words, which assets do your clients pay you money for?

The assets protected by copyright.

Your clients pay you for the transformation you provide. The transformation you provide is accomplished with the assets protected by copyright law.

My trademark attorney friends will tell you to trademark your name if you would be devastated if someone else registered it before you. I can’t argue with that logic. Who among us hasn’t fallen in love with a business or product name?

If resources aren’t scarce, lock down that trademark. But if they are, prioritize the protection of your money makers.

And the Winner is…