Name: Ali Aoun
Reg: SP24-BAF-033
Course: ICT
Introduction and Overview
Patent:
When an inventor secures a patent, they gain the right to prevent others from making, using,
selling, or offering for sale the patented invention for a specified period, typically 20 years from
the date of application. Patent protection is managed by national or regional patent offices, which
enforce a rigorous process requiring the invention to demonstrate novelty, utility, and non-
obviousness. This implies that the invention must not be a mere extension or modification of
existing products or processes, but rather must be genuinely innovative and serve a purpose.
Patents incentivize innovation by allowing inventors to recover their research and development
costs. They encompass a broad spectrum of ideas, ranging from everyday items and
manufacturing methods to advanced technologies and pharmaceuticals. However, once the patent
term expires, the innovation becomes part of the public domain, available for use by anyone
without infringing on the patent's exclusive rights.
Digital Watermark:
A digital watermark is data inserted into a digital signal, undetectable to the human eye but
recognizable by specialized software. Its applications include media tracking, identifying the
owner of digital content, and verifying content origin by revealing ownership and source details.
Unlike legal protections such as patents, trademarks, or copyrights, digital watermarking serves
solely as a method for managing or safeguarding digital property against unauthorized use. It
does not confer immediate legal rights. Digital embedding can be applied to various file types,
including Word documents, music, movies, and images.
Digital watermarks are commonly employed in digital rights management (DRM) to protect digital
content and facilitate the prevention of piracy and unauthorized distribution. For instance, they can
aid in identifying the source of pirated content by including an identifier in each circulated copy
of a video. However, the occasional removal or alteration of digital watermarks diminishes their
effectiveness as the sole defense..
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Trademark:
A trademark, whether it be a term, logo, or graphic, serves as a means of identifying a particular
business or line of products. Crucial to customer welfare and brand recognition, trademarks
distinguish the goods and services of one company from those of others. Their primary function
is to prevent potential confusion in the marketplace. National trademark registration grants legal
rights to the trademark owner indefinitely, as long as the brand continues to use and maintain the
registration through regular renewal filings. This protection ensures that the company's
reputation and loyal customer base remain intact, as no other entity has the legal authority to
utilize similar symbols that could mislead consumers. Particularly in industries such as food and
beverage, fashion, and technology, where establishing and maintaining a product or service's
reputation is paramount, trademarks are indispensable. For instance, to prevent counterfeit
products and maintain brand integrity, both the Coca-Cola logo and the distinctive bottle design
are safeguarded by trademarks.
Copyright:
Copyright, a form of intellectual property, provides writers and artists with exclusive rights to
produce and distribute new works. This encompasses literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic
creations such as books, songs, paintings, movies, software, and more.
The primary objective of copyright is to protect the rights of creators and encourage the
production of original works by ensuring fair compensation for their contributions to the
advancement of science and culture. It's important to note that when a work is created and fixed
in a tangible form, it automatically receives copyright protection. Although artists are not
obligated to register their works to obtain copyright, doing so offers certain legal advantages.
The duration of copyright protection typically ranges from the author's lifetime plus 50 to 70
years, depending on the jurisdiction. Currently, copyright owners have the freedom to reproduce,
distribute, publicly perform or display for profit, and create derivative works based on the
original. Works whose copyright has expired and are thus available for public use are considered
to be in the public domain. Copyrights are crucial for writers, singers, artists, and others as they
enable them to retain control over and profit from their creative endeavors
Key Differences
Aspect Patent Digital Watermark Trademark Copyright
Purpose Safeguarding for Embeds ownership reserves brand Protects
innovations and or tracking integrity and original works
findings. information in differentiates of authorship
digital media products/services.
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Duration 20 years from No specific duration As long as it is Life of another
filing date in use and plus 70 years
renewed
periodically
Application Requires detailed Insertion into digital Requires Automatic
Process application, and content using application, upon creation
approval software examination and fixation in
and approval a tangible
medium
Legal Yes No Yes Yes
Protection
Scope of Invention, process, Ownership/tacking Logos, names, Literary,
Protection or improvement information within slogans and musical,
that is novel, digital content other brand dramatic and
useful, and identifiers artistic works
nonobvious
Enforcement Through courts, Monitoring and Through courts, Through courts,
infringement technical infringement infringement
lawsuits enforcement lawsuits lawsuits
Examples New machinery, Embedded Nike’s Books, music,
pharmaceuticals, identifiers in videos, “Swoosh” logo, paintings,
tech innovations images, audio files Apple’s apple films, software
logo
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