Copyright or Trademark??

[jay j]

i have been doing some research into this but till cant decide which to use. i understand that the programs i wright will need to have a copyright mark on them as its text and software work written by me the authour. however what about if i wanted to create a logo for my program .. a logo designed and created by myself of course, would this be subject to copyright or would i need to trademark it??

 

[manix]

Copyright gives the owner the exclusive right to make and distribute copies, or perform a work, or make derivative works, depending upon the type of creative work it is. It is infringed when someone violates those rights, such as by making illegal copies.

Trademark provides an individualized right to use a distinctive mark, sound, color, word, design, etc, to indicate a particular source and quality of branded goods or services. It is infringed when someone uses the brand to falsely indicate or suggest goods or services came from the rightful brand owner, and not the knock-off producer.

Sometimes these overlap, as where a design may be protected by copyright in the sculpture of something and in the trademark value represented by the form itself. Consider the "MICKEY MOUSE" design: copyrighted as a cartoon character, and trademarked as an indication that it came from Disney (or a licensee). You would infringe the copyright by using "MICKEY" in your own cartoons; you would infringe the trademark by putting MICKEY's picture on the package.

Source: WikiAnswers - Whats the difference between copyright and trademark

 

[jay j]

lets say i written a program and designed a logo for it ... that logo would then be protected by trademark? or what about if i had a name for a company ... like "jay apps" or somethign ..... that would also be trademark NOT copyright????

 

[Glenn Stanton]

Nothing is protected until you purchase protection.

Go to uspto.gov for the skinny.