Find Articles by Topic:

All Topics

Bestsellers

Trademark
Price: $39.99 Your Price: $26.99 You Save: 33%
Patent, Copyright & Trademark
Price: $39.99 Your Price: $27.99 You Save: 30%
The Copyright Handbook
Price: $39.99 Your Price: $31.99 You Save: 20%
Nolo's Online Trademark Application
Price: $149.00 Prices starting at: $139.00 You Save: 7%

View all products in
Trademark Law

Since 1971, Nolo's goal has been to make our legal system accessible to everyone. As we approach our 40th anniversary, we're proud that our books, software, and online legal forms help millions of Americans get the quality legal information they need.

Articles
Legal Updates

How Trademarks Differ From Patents and Copyrights FAQ

Learn how patents, copyrights, and trademarks serve different purposes.

Questions

What is a trademark?
What's the difference between a patent and a trademark?
How does copyright differ from trademark protection?

Answer

What is a trademark?

A trademark is a word, name, phrase or logo that identifies a product or service and helps distinguish it from that offered by the competition. To determine whether a potential business name or product name is trademarkable, see Nolo's Qualifying for Trademark Protection FAQ.

Next Question >>

Find a Lawyer

Lawyers in your area:

Browse for:

Intellectual Property Lawyers

Reprint Permissions

Nolo posts updates to the latest versions of books and software when major legal or practical changes occur. To see if your product has had a recent update, view our list of updates by product.