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I'm working on a product and now that it's nearing completion, I'm starting to worry about copyright and trademark.
I see the two all the time but have little to no knowledge of them.
Copyright is the rights to distribute the product, so putting copyright on the product will prevent illegal distribution, right? (Prevent or allow me to sue them I mean)
Trademark is used to reserve the use of a name/image (according to wikipedia).
So putting a Trademark on the product name will protect it from use by others.
My two questions are:
If I Copyright a product, do I also need to Trademark it's name to prevent others from using it?
Can a Trademarked software product name be used in something completely unrelated such as a play?
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Your best bet is to ask a lawyer with knowledge of these areas: if your product is truly valuable then you should not hesitate to spend whatever is required to properly protect it.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
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I agree with digital man - but it is very true what Mr. Chris M says too.
Verify.
With Kind Regards,
April
Comm100 - Leading Live Chat Software Provider
modified 27-May-14 8:37am.
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I'm not a lawyer. I assume you;ve read the wikipedia article on copyright[^]
What do you mean by "use"? If you create something then you control how it's distributed, so if you don't want someone using it, don't distribute it.
A trademark protects the mark's use for commercial purposes - it doesn't mean it can't be used in places (such as an article about the product) where there's no chance of there being confusion about whether you're using the name for commercial purposes or just talking about it.
I think what you're after is a License agreement. Get a lawyer if you're concerned, or pick a common license[^]
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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The laws change from country to country and are different again when talking worldwide.
Speak to a lawyer.
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
Trolls[ ^]
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A 5 for that most sage advice.
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