Guides · Disputes
IP Remedies and Rules Compared
Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are enforced under different statutes, in different courts, on different deadlines, with different remedies.
· Law checked through October 20, 2026
In Short
Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are enforced under different statutes, in different courts, on different deadlines, with different remedies. This page sets the four side by side. Each cell gives the governing rule and its source; the section guides explain the details.
Where and when to sue.
| Question | Patent | Trademark | Copyright | Trade secret |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which courts | Federal district courts only (28 U.S.C. § 1338(a)) | Federal or state courts (15 U.S.C. § 1121; 28 U.S.C. § 1338); Texas registered marks under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 16.102 | Federal district courts only (28 U.S.C. § 1338(a)) | Texas state courts under TUTSA (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 134A); the Texas Business Court when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million (Tex. Gov't Code § 25A.004(d)(5)); federal courts under the DTSA (18 U.S.C. § 1836(c)) |
| What must exist before suit | An issued patent (35 U.S.C. § 281) | Nothing for unregistered marks (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)); a federal registration for § 1114 claims; a Texas registration for § 16.102 claims | For U.S. works, a registration or a refusal by the Copyright Office (17 U.S.C. § 411(a); Fourth Estate Pub. Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 586 U.S. 296 (2019)) | No registration; information that qualifies as a trade secret, protected by reasonable measures (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 134A.002(6); 18 U.S.C. § 1839(3)) |
| Deadline to sue | No limitations period, but no damages for infringement more than six years before suit (35 U.S.C. § 286) | No federal limitations period; delay is judged under laches | Three years after the claim accrues (17 U.S.C. § 507(b)); a timely plaintiff may recover damages for older infringement (Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy, 601 U.S. 366 (2024)) | Three years after the misappropriation is or reasonably should have been discovered (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.010; 18 U.S.C. § 1836(d)) |
| Jury | Yes, when damages are sought (U.S. Const. amend. VII) | Yes, when damages are sought | Yes, including on statutory damages (Feltner v. Columbia Pictures Television, Inc., 523 U.S. 340 (1998)) | Yes |
| Agency or administrative forum | PTAB review of validity (35 U.S.C. §§ 311, 321); ITC import cases (19 U.S.C. § 1337) | TTAB oppositions and cancellations, which decide registration only (15 U.S.C. §§ 1063, 1064, 1067); ITC import cases | Copyright Claims Board, voluntary small claims up to $30,000 (17 U.S.C. §§ 1502, 1504(e)); ITC import cases | No agency forum; ITC import cases |
| Court of appeals | Federal Circuit (28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(1)) | Fifth Circuit for federal cases from Texas; TTAB decisions to the Federal Circuit or a district court (15 U.S.C. § 1071) | Fifth Circuit, or the Federal Circuit if the case also includes a patent claim | Fifth Circuit for federal cases; Texas courts of appeals; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals for Business Court cases (Tex. Gov't Code § 25A.007(a)) |
What a winner can recover.
| Remedy | Patent | Trademark | Copyright | Trade secret |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money | Damages adequate to compensate, at least a reasonable royalty (35 U.S.C. § 284) | Defendant's profits, damages, and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1117(a)); profits only of the named defendant, not unsued affiliates (Dewberry Grp., Inc. v. Dewberry Eng'rs Inc., 604 U.S. ___ (2025)) | Actual damages plus the infringer's profits not already counted (17 U.S.C. § 504(b)) | Actual loss plus unjust enrichment not already counted, or a reasonable royalty (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 134A.004(a); 18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(3)(B)); must match the secrets actually misappropriated (Trinseo Eur. GmbH v. Kellogg Brown & Root, L.L.C., No. 24-20460 (5th Cir. Jan. 21, 2026)) |
| Statutory damages | None | Counterfeit marks: $1,000 to $200,000 per mark per type of goods, up to $2,000,000 if willful (§ 1117(c)); cybersquatting: $1,000 to $100,000 per domain name (§ 1117(d)) | $750 to $30,000 per work, up to $150,000 if willful (17 U.S.C. § 504(c)); available only if the work was registered in time (§ 412) | None |
| Increased damages | Up to three times, for egregious infringement (35 U.S.C. § 284; Halo Elecs., Inc. v. Pulse Elecs., Inc., 579 U.S. 93 (2016)) | Up to three times actual damages, as compensation and not a penalty (§ 1117(a)); trebling for counterfeiting (§ 1117(b)) | No separate enhancement; willfulness raises the statutory damages range | Exemplary damages up to twice the award for willful and malicious misappropriation (§ 134A.004(b); 18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(3)(C)) |
| Attorney's fees | Exceptional cases (35 U.S.C. § 285; Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., 572 U.S. 545 (2014)) | Exceptional cases (15 U.S.C. § 1117(a)); the Fifth Circuit applies the Octane standard (Baker v. DeShong, 821 F.3d 620 (5th Cir. 2016)) | In the court's discretion to the prevailing party (17 U.S.C. § 505); only if the work was registered in time (§ 412) | A claim made in bad faith, a bad-faith motion to end or resist ending an injunction, or willful and malicious misappropriation (§ 134A.005; 18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(3)(D)) |
| Injunction | Four-factor equitable test (35 U.S.C. § 283; eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C., 547 U.S. 388 (2006)) | Equitable test, with a rebuttable presumption of irreparable harm once infringement or likely success is shown (15 U.S.C. § 1116(a)) | Equitable test (17 U.S.C. § 502; eBay) | Actual or threatened misappropriation may be enjoined, but not a person's use of general knowledge, skill, and experience (§ 134A.003(a)); a DTSA injunction may not prevent a person from taking a job (18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(3)(A)(i)) |
| Emergency seizure | None | Ex parte seizure of counterfeit goods (15 U.S.C. § 1116(d)) | Impoundment of infringing copies (17 U.S.C. § 503(a)) | DTSA ex parte civil seizure in extraordinary circumstances (18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(2)); none under TUTSA |
Notes.
- Trade secret cases in two systems. A claim can be brought under TUTSA, the DTSA, or both. In federal court, a TUTSA claim usually rides along with a DTSA claim. Texas procedures such as the sealing statute (§ 134A.0065) apply only in Texas courts.
- More than one kind of IP. Many disputes involve two or more types, such as a patent and a trade secret covering the same process. Each claim follows its own rules, and an appeal of a case that includes a patent claim goes to the Federal Circuit.
Sources.
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 1063, 1064, 1067, 1071, 1114, 1116, 1117, 1121, 1125(a).
- 17 U.S.C. §§ 411(a), 412, 502, 503, 504, 505, 507(b), 1502, 1504(e).
- 18 U.S.C. §§ 1836, 1839(3).
- 19 U.S.C. § 1337.
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 1295(a)(1), 1338.
- 35 U.S.C. §§ 281, 283, 284, 285, 286, 311, 321.
- Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 16.102.
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 16.010, 134A.002-.005, 134A.0065.
- Tex. Gov't Code §§ 25A.004(d)(5), 25A.007(a).
- Fourth Estate Pub. Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 586 U.S. 296 (2019).
- Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy, 601 U.S. 366 (2024).
- Feltner v. Columbia Pictures Television, Inc., 523 U.S. 340 (1998).
- Dewberry Grp., Inc. v. Dewberry Eng'rs Inc., 604 U.S. ___ (Feb. 26, 2025).
- Trinseo Eur. GmbH v. Kellogg Brown & Root, L.L.C., No. 24-20460 (5th Cir. Jan. 21, 2026).
- Halo Elecs., Inc. v. Pulse Elecs., Inc., 579 U.S. 93 (2016).
- Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., 572 U.S. 545 (2014).
- Baker v. DeShong, 821 F.3d 620 (5th Cir. 2016).
- eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C., 547 U.S. 388 (2006).
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Law checked through October 20, 2026. See the Disclaimer.