A Trademark protects names, terms or symbols that are used to identify the products of a certain manufacturer or company. This includes brand names such as "Coca-Cola" and images such as Nike's famous "swoosh." As a trademark owner, you can sue for trademark infringement in federal court and prevent others from importing foreign goods that display your trademark.

A Copyright protects original creative works such as books, movies, songs, paintings, photographs, websites and choreography. As a copyright owner, you can control how your work is reproduced, distributed and presented publicly.