Powerhouse Points: Patents protect an implementation of an idea. Copyrights protect the expression of an idea. Trademarks protect consumers by identifying the source of a product or service. Trade secrets protect valuable information that is not generally known to others. When you look around a business, it's easy to see the hard assets: products and equipment that could be lost, damaged, or stolen. Your clients would be foolish not to protect them, and there are some obvious ways to do it. For example, they can lock things away or, for smaller things, require employees to wear uniforms without pockets to reduce theft.