Patents, trade marks, copyright and designs: which one protects what?
People often use "patent" for anything to do with protecting an idea. In the UK there are several kinds of intellectual property, and each covers something different. This is a general guide, not legal advice.
Patents
A patent protects how something works: a technical invention, such as a new device, process or composition. To be granted, an invention generally has to be new, involve an inventive step, and be capable of industrial application. A patent is granted for a particular country or region, and it takes time and effort to obtain.
Trade marks
A trade mark protects a sign that identifies a business's goods or services, such as a name, logo or slogan. It is about brand, not about how a product works.
Copyright
Copyright protects the way something is expressed, such as writing, music, images and software code. It protects the expression, not the underlying idea. In the UK it generally arises automatically when the work is created.
Designs
Design rights protect how a product looks, such as its shape, lines or patterns, rather than how it works.
Confidential information
Some things are protected by keeping them secret and by agreements with the people who know them. A confidentiality agreement is a common tool.
Which one is for me?
Many products involve more than one of these. A gadget might have a patentable mechanism, a protectable look, a brand name and original software. A registered patent attorney can tell you which apply to yours. If your idea is a technical invention, a patent search is a sensible first step, and you should keep details private until you have taken advice.
Where Invenit fits
Invenit is being built for the patent side of this: researching existing patents and comparing them with your invention. It does not cover trade marks, copyright or designs, it will not write or file patents, and it is not legal advice.