Symbols of a person/company or institution’s brand of goods such as words, designs, logos, catchphrases, or slogans are legally protected by using Trademarks. A variant called Service Marks are used to describe symbols for a person/company or institution’s brand of services, however the term Trademark is often generalized to cover this as well.
Unlike a Patent, Trademarks are for representation of brands and devices. Also unlike Patents, there is no limit to the duration of protected use. A trademark can be protected indefinitely as long as the registration is continually renewed with the USPTO.
Copyrights are not the same a Trademarks. They protect original authorship such as poetry and novels, but also apply to songs, software and architecture. Copyright protection usually extends up to 70 years past the lifetime of the author. There are other protection rules for works that are anonymous or written for hire.