The limitation of copyright is that it protects only the precise words, music or picture you have captured. It does not protect the ideas that underlie the copyrighted work. Conversely, a patent protects your practical concepts. The Constitution provides for patenting inventions to encourage creativity and industry. But unlike copyrights, a patent must be granted and recorded by the government to be enforceable.
Patents can take years to process, and a well-written patent can be expensive to obtain.
Despite the time and expense, securing a patent is the best way to protect your advantage in many technologies. Some of those patents may eventually be invalidated in court, but a company relying on creative business models cannot ignore patents as a potent weapon to be wielded or feared. Patents require the inventor to make his creation public. Some inventions are best protected not by a publicly displayed and inspected patent, but by being kept quietly as trade secrets. Trademark law protects the brand name that distinguishes your products and services from those of competitors.