How to Use the Copyright Symbol

The art of creating something unique and of value has always been contested over by many. However, millions of writers, thinkers, artists, and musicians worldwide spend day and night working on their masterpieces, and many gain monetary benefits from doing so as well. If your business operates in the same way of producing quality works and unique works of art or a personal hobby, you will be interested in getting copyright protection from the government.

Why? Well, for starters, if your creative work gives you monetary profit, you’ll find yourself in difficulty since your competitors will attempt to steal it away from you. Therefore, protecting your creative work with a copyright is the best way to ensure that only you and those you authorize can exploit it financially.

A copyright can be recognized by its signature symbol, the letter ‘C’ in a circle. You may have noticed them everywhere, from the books you read to the websites you go through and more.

What is a Copyright Notice?

A copyright notice is a way for you to recognize if an intellectual asset such as a painting, piece of writing, or any other creative work is copyrighted or not. All works before the year 1989 were required to have a copyright notice issued by the U.S. Copyright Office under copyright law. However, afterward, all the assets were given a symbol to distinguish them from unprotected pieces of writing and art.

Even if you decide not to put up the symbol, your work remains protected under copyright law. However, it is recommended to add the symbol so anyone trying to infringe upon your property can be more easily penalized.

Similarly, if in the case that someone does infringe upon your property and you had your symbol up there, the court will not rule the idea of innocent infringement because you did not have a notice up. Therefore, it’s best to use the symbol where it is most likely to be viewed. Besides, the copyright notice gives off a sense of prestige since not everyone can create works of art and then own a copyright in their name.

Using the Copyright Symbol

When we talk about using the copyright symbol, what we mean is how this symbol can be best seen or heard depending on the type of intellectual asset it protects. For example, some assets are visually perceptive where the works are written or visual, such as a sculpture or painting.

Then we have those artworks that cannot be seen but only heard, such as music. These can be recorded on a CD or be used as an MP3 file. Both types of assets require separate notices, so we have listed these elements below for your understanding.

The first part contains information regarding visually perceptible assets. The notice for these assets has three elements to them.

• The first element is the symbol © (letter C in a circle); the abbreviation “Copr.” or the word “Copyright.”
• The second element has to do with the year the work was first published.
• The final element has to do with the owner’s name of the copyright. Again, remember that the name you registered your copyright with should match.

The elements for music-related assets are the same, except the symbol is ℗ (the letter P in a circle) instead.

Names Eligible For Trademark Registration

Names most likely to be trademarked by the USPTO are those that are distinct. If a business name seems similar or confusing, it may get rejected. In addition, a business name is not eligible for trademark registration if it consists of the generic name or signature of someone who owns it. The USPTO also has a problem with business names that are misleading or likely to cause confusion.

Important things to remember about names that can be trademarked are:

• Made-up names are the easiest to trademark, for instance, “Google.”
• “Apple” computers also have a strong trademark. Apple is a common word but because it does not describe its products makes its usage unique and trademark-worthy.
• Descriptive business names are the most difficult to trademark. Nouns such as Christina Perri, geographical locations like “New York Pizza”, and titles that describe a product or a service, such as “Best Dry Cleaners” fall under descriptive names and are very hard to trademark. Unless you can prove that a business name has been utilized so much that people automatically associate it with a product or a service, the USPTO probably will not register it.

Using Copyright Symbol for Blogs and Websites

The people who use the copyright symbol to mark artwork are the ones who put up banners, posters, paintings, etc. For blogs and websites, it would be best to put the copyright symbol at either the beginning or end of your work or in both places.

When you put a copyright symbol at the beginning of your blog post, it’s a reminder to others that this work is yours and may not be used without your consent. In other words, the copyright symbol is a way for you to let people know that they can use or take your post as long as they give you credit.

Samples of Using the Copyright Symbol

Below are some of the most common examples of using a copyright symbol along with your work.

Copyright 2018 Paul Gardner

© 2018 Paul Gardner

Copr. 2018 Paul Gardner

You may also add the phrase “All rights reserved” to the end of your copyright notice if you like. The phrase “All Rights Reserved” means that you retain all rights to copy, modify, or distribute your work and create derivative works based on it. The inclusion of “all rights reserved” is optional, as is the use of the copyright symbol, because you already hold the exclusive rights the moment you produced the work.

For information on how to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, you may visit our copyright registration page.