What does copyrighting protect?

[aewarnick]

I live in the US and copyrighted my program with Form TX.

1. I know it protects the internal code, but does it protect the name of the program from being used by someone else?

2. I know it is suggested that I copyright each version number but...do I HAVE to include the version number for the copyright to be processed?

[randem]

You can't copywright a name. You can however make a name a trademark. No you don't have to copyright each version. But you can fully protect yourself by submitting each version as addendums to your work previously submitted.

[szlamany]

My business partner holds several trademarks - they are complex to arrive at and very specific. But yes they protect the "name" of the product or service being offered.

And in the long run all a copyright or trademark gives you is a legal leg to stand on in the event you are going to sue for infringement. The suing part I would prefer to avoid at all costs...

[aewarnick]

I was under the impression that TM's were free to inexpensive. But I started to register one and found that it's about $300!!

Let's say I make a piece of software, copyright it, but don't register a TM for it's name, but someone else, later, does. Can they turn and sue me for using their registered name, even though I used it first?

[randem]

Basically, Yes.

[szlamany]

I was under the impression that TM's were free to inexpensive. But I started to register one and found that it's about $300!!

Let's say I make a piece of software, copyright it, but don't register a TM for it's name, but someone else, later, does. Can they turn and sue me for using their registered name, even though I used it first?

That is the whole point of making a trademark - verifying that a registered (or even proposed) trademark, hasn't been attempted previously. An intellectual property attorney will take thousands of dollars from you and do due-dilegence research and "suggest" that the TM is free for the taking!

Then the patent office does their own version of months-worth-of-processing to make sure they aren't stepping on their own toes...

and you get a trademark.

The TM is more important in my opinion then the copyright - but that's a different debate...

[aewarnick]

I was looking at this:
http://www.uspto.gov/teas/eTEASpageA.htm
page and saw the $300 part. But maybe I'm looking at the wrong form. Which one do I use?
This one:
http://teas.uspto.gov/servlet/V2.0/g...0&formnumber=3
?