What you must know about the Copyright Symbol

What is a Copyright Symbol?

The copyright symbol, designated by ©(the letter “C” with a circle around it) is the official symbol used in copyright notices for works other than musical or sound recordings, which are formally indicated with the same symbol, only the “C” is replaced with a “P.”

The use of the copyright symbol is described in United States copyright law, and internationally, by the Universal Copyright Convention. As a result of its universal acknowledgment, the jurisdiction where the copyright symbol appears, for any particular case, will be subject to either of the aforementioned bodies of law or legislation.

What does the United States Copyright Notice Consist of?

Based on United States Copyright Law, a copyright notice will consist of the following symbols and intricacies:

The ©or copyright symbol simply stands for the word “copyright”; it offers protection and signifies the year the copyrighted work was published. Furthermore, the copyright symbol provides a formal identification of the owner of the copyright, either by name, abbreviation or another designation by which the work is general known.

A copyright notice was once required in order to obtain protection rights-- offered by a copyright symbol—throughout the world; however, some countries only respect the Berne Convention’s policies and regulations regarding the affirmation and acknowledgement of copyright protections.

Because the copyright symbol has long been unavailable on obsolete word processing machines, such as typewriters or older computers, it is accepted to approximate the symbol with the character ( C ).

How do I make a Copyright Symbol and what does it do?

Any individual can add a copyright symbol to document text; there is no need for special publishing software or additional downloads to produce a copyright symbol. The copyright symbol can be entered by simply using any generic computer keyboard that possesses a numeric keypad.

There are a number of reasons you may wish to include a copyright symbol in the body of your work; for example, if you own the rights to any written material it is fairly important that you identify your work as protected. Follow the steps below and you will be able to add a copyright symbol to any and all of your documents.

1. The first step to adding a copyright symbol to your work is identifying the proper space in which you want to place the symbol. When making reference to the copyrighted material in a written document, the copyright symbol is typically placed after the formal title.

2. When your location has been chosen, move your mouse cursor to the desired space and click on it. Find the “num lock” key on your keyboard; press it once to lock the keypad for number entry. Next, locate the “Alt” key found on the lower left or right section of the keyboard.

Once located, hold the “Alt” key and enter “0169.” Once entered, the copyright symbol should appear in the space you previously indicated with your mouse and cursor.