Copyright Notice

The Copyright Act no longer requires the use of a copyright notice, although it is often beneficial to give copyright notice. Use of the copyright notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. The use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the United States Copyright Office.

Form of Notice for Visually Perceptible Copies

The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all the following three elements:

1. The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright," or the abbreviation "Copr."; and,

2. The year of first publication of the work; and

3.The name of the owner of copyright in the work, an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner.

Form of Notice for Phonorecords of Sound Recordings----Sound recordings are defined in the law as "works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work." The word "phonorecord" includes cassette tapes, CDs, LPs, as well as other formats. The notice for phonorecords embodying a sound recording should contain all the following three elements:

1. The symbol (the letter P in a circle);

2. The year of first publication of the sound recording; and

3.The name of the owner of the copyright of the sound recording, an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner.

(Updated 10/4/2012 by AG)

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