Trademarks, patents and copyrights offer protection for owners of intellectual property.  A patent protects an invention and innovations or improvements thereon by providing the inventor with a set of exclusive rights which prevent others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention without the consent of the inventor. An idea in itself can not be patented. The idea must be materialized into an invention, innovative product, device or process that offers new solutions to a problem in ord

Source: What is the difference between a Patent, Trademark and Copyright? : Marcaria.com