Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in the U.S. Government

Select all that apply.

Select the items that describe the ways that the U.S. government protects intellectual property rights.

• patents
• antitrust laws
• copyrights
• trademarks
• protection of trade secrets

The correct alternatives are: Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets.

Patents give the rights of an invention to its inventor. It forbids others from making, selling, or using the inventions without the authorization of the holder of the patent.

Copyrights protect authors of literary works, music, dramatic works, computer software, architectural works, etc.

Trademark protects words, phrases, symbols, or designs that distinguish products. An example of a trademarked design is the Nike "Swoosh".

Trade Secrets refer to formulas, processes, devices, or pretty much any information companies want to keep a secret to give them an edge over their competitors. Computer algorithms could be an example of a Trade Secret.