Copyright, namely copyright, refers to the rights enjoyed by authors of literary, artistic and scientific works. The works here include natural science, social science, literature, music, drama, painting, sculpture, photography and movies. There is no need to apply for copyright, and the author automatically owns the copyright from the time the work is completed. The effectiveness of copyright registration lies in that it can be used against a third party more effectively, as a proof document for claiming rights or bringing administrative treatment or rights dispute litigation.
Patents protect technical solutions, including inventions, utility models and designs, and are limited to industrial fields. The aforementioned literary and artistic works cannot be protected by patents. To obtain the patent right, you need to go through the application procedures, pass the examination and issue a certificate.
In addition to the above-mentioned protected objects and acquisition methods, there are many differences between patents and copyrights. For example, the protection period of copyright is 50 years before and after the author's death (50 years after the first publication of a legal person's work), while the protection period of patent is 20 years for invention patent, and 10 year for utility model and design patent from the filing date.