Copyright, Trademark, Trade Secret

Copyright: Copyright is a form of protection provided by U.S. law and is automatically established when a work is first fixed in a tangible medium. Registration with the Copyright Office is not required to secure copyright protection. Generally, the copyright owner has exclusive rights to use the copyrighted material, including any derivative uses. The current copyright law does provide for limited use of copyrighted material under the principle of "fair use" (for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research). Although use of a copyright notice is not required to claim copyright protection, it is desirable to use a notice to put others on notice that the owner does assert copyright protection. The notice should read: Copyright [YEAR WRITTEN] University of Kentucky [or name of author(s) if a traditional scholarly work]. Additional information identifying the unit or how to contact the author may also be included if desired immediately below the copyright notice.

Trademark: Trademark is a word, name symbol or device or combination of these, used by a manufacturer or seller of goods to distinguish his products from those of other manufacturers or sellers.

Trade Secret: Trade secret is a plan, process, mechanism, compound, or "proprietary information" known only to its owner and to his or her employees to whom it is necessary to confide it.