What is the difference between trade-marks and other forms of intellectual property?

Trade-marks are only one form of intellectual property that can be protected through federal legislation. The other forms are:

• patents, for new technologies;
• copyrights, for literary, artistic, dramatic, or musical works, as well as performances, sound recordings, and communication signals;
• industrial designs, for the shape, pattern, or ornamentation applied to an industrially produced object; and
• integrated circuit topographies, the three-dimensional configuration of the electronic circuits in integrated circuit products or layout designs.

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