Why does digital copyright appear to be less effective than physical copyright?
<p>I frequently hear on the news about enforcement of patent infringements on physical products, such as various types of wrenches, machinery, and toys.</p>
<p>However, I cannot recall a situation where an online business has been sued for creating a product that is almost identical to another product. For example, in the case of video game app offerings for phones, whenever a new trend emerges, a multitude of copycat products seem to follow.</p>
<p>Initially, I thought this was because the rate of ripoffs is so high that the original creators are unable to file claims as quickly as new copies appear. However, I have also observed that large corporate groups, such as Ketchapp and Voodoo, often have entire portfolios consisting of slightly modified versions of popular products created by competitors.</p>
<p>It is difficult to understand how this is feasible, and copyright law for digital services seems to be less effective than for physical products. Please keep in mind, I am not from a legal background and am simply curious about this.</p>

<h2>Patents protect inventions, Copyright protects artistic or literary creation</h2>
<p>Software does not qualify for patents. In some jurisdictions but by no means most, algorithms and business processes can be patented.</p>
<p>Software, both the literary (code) and artistic (UIJ) work, is protected by copyright which prevents copying the expression but not the idea. So software writers can take inspiration from other <em>software</em> but can’t <em>copy</em> it.</p>
<p>So, things that look like copyright infringement often aren’t but things that look like patent infringement often are.</p>
<p>Patents last for a short time (10-20 years) and take a lot of investment of time and money so their owners are incentivised to commercialise them quickly and on a large scale.</p>
<p>Copyright lasts for a long time (life of the creator(s) + 50 years minimum depending on jurisdiction) and come into existence automatically. In general, it is easier to create a literary or artistic work than a novel invention.</p>
<p>So, patent owners are more incentivised to protect their IP than copyright owners.</p>

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