Under the laws of most countries, copyright is the legal right that protects original works of authorship, such as books, music, film and art. In most countries, copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems or methods of operation. Some of these may be protected by other rights. Generally, copyright does not protect facts and ideas, but it may protect the original words or images that express that idea.

However, copyright does not protect all expressions. As explained by the U.S. Copyright Office, "copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks."

A trademark is a word, slogan, symbol or design (such as a brand name or a logo) that identifies and distinguishes the products or services offered by one party from those offered by others. Generally, trademark law seeks to prevent confusion among consumers about the source of products or services. The owner of a trademark may be able to prevent others from using its trademark (or a similar trademark) in a manner that would confuse people into thinking either that there is a relationship between the trademark owner and the unauthorized user or that the trademark owner endorses the unauthorized user’s products or services.