You are confusing a few concepts: - Copyright: "I" created $thing. I have the right to distribute copies of that exact thing. I may grant others the right to d

You are confusing a few concepts: - Copyright: "I" created $thing. I have the right to distribute copies of that exact thing. I may grant others the right to distribute $thing I've made. - Patent: I have written down $process. No one else before me wrote down this process (that the patent office has record of.) This process makes a thing. No one else has the right to use that process unless I agree to it for about 20 years in the US. And for good measure: - Trademark: I sell $thing under $brand. No one else has the right to sell similar $things with a $brand that sounds like mine. Does this help to clarify?