Copyright, patents and trademarks are three types of intellectual property protection. They are different and serve different purposes.

• A copyright protects the writings of an author against copying. Literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works are included within the protection of the copyright law. A copyright protects the form of expression rather than the subject matter of the work.
• A patent is a grant of property right by the Government to the inventor of a new and useful idea.
• A trademark or service mark is a word, symbol, phrase or slogan, or combination of these items, which is used to mark and distinguish goods or services to indicate their source of origin.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) promotes industrial and technological progress in the United States by disseminating the information in the patents that it grants and the trademarks that it registers. A key part of the PTO's information dissemination effort is its Web site. The PTO's Web site contains a wealth of information about patents and trademarks, PTO products, services and operations, and intellectual property procedures and events.

For further information, visit: The US Patents & Trademark Office

To download forms to register trademarks or service names in Hawaii, visit the Business Registration Division's Trademark Registration.