Trademark™ vs. Copyright © Question: What's the difference between a trademark and a copyright? Answer: A trademark is a distinctive symbol or words that identify a product. Once registered it protects the owner from unfair competition as long as the trademark remains in use. For example, if the menu says "Coke" but it's "Pepsi" they pour, Coke will surely hand the matter to Spofford, Whipple, Snodgrass and Snoot for legal action. A copyright protects the original creation of a writer or artist for a limitedtime - in the U.S. it's currently for the creator's lifetime plus 50 years. But what constitutes copyright infringement? For instance, how much can you quote from a novel and under what circumstances before quoting becomes stealing? In other words, copyrights leave more room for interpretation. And that means more frequent need for lawyers at $400 per billable hour. There's your real difference!