What is the difference between copyright, trademark, and patent protection, and how long does each last?

These three forms of intellectual property protect different things. Copyright (governed by the Copyright Act) automatically protects original works of authorship fixed in tangible form, including books, music, software, art, and film, for the author's life plus 70 years (or 95 years for corporate authorship). Trademark (governed by the Lanham Act) protects words, symbols, logos, and other source identifiers from consumer confusion and can last indefinitely as long as the mark is used in commerce and registration is renewed every 10 years. A utility patent protects the functional aspects of a new and useful invention for 20 years from the application filing date; a design patent lasts 15 years. Registration is required for trademark and patent protection but is optional (though highly advisable) for copyright.