How to Type a Copyright Symbol

Quick Reference

When to Use the Copyright Symbol

The copyright symbol is used to assert copyright ownership over creative works. While copyright protection exists automatically upon creation, using the © symbol provides clear notice to others.

• Website footers: © 2026 Your Company Name
• Published works: Books, articles, blog posts
• Creative content: Photographs, artwork, music
• Software: Source code and applications
• Documentation: Manuals, guides, and instructional materials

Proper Copyright Notice Format

Office, Web & Code

Every major writing tool has a built-in way to insert © without memorising a keyboard shortcut. The choice usually comes down to where the document will live — printed, on the web, or inside source code.

• Microsoft Word: typing (c) auto-corrects to © by default. If not, Insert → Symbol → More Symbols → Special Characters → Copyright.
• Google Docs: Insert → Special characters → search "copyright". Or create a text substitution: Tools → Preferences → add (c) → ©.
• HTML: use the named entity © for maximum compatibility, or pasted-in © directly (UTF-8 pages render it without entity encoding).
• Markdown: paste the character directly — Markdown passes Unicode through unchanged. HTML entities work in files that will be rendered as HTML.
• CSS content: content: "\00A9"; inside a ::before pseudo-element — useful for auto-inserted footer notices.
• JavaScript / JSON: "©" is the portable escape for source files whose encoding you can't guarantee.

What the Symbol Means (and Doesn't Mean)

Under the Berne Convention, which most countries have signed, copyright protection attaches automatically as soon as a work is fixed in a tangible form — whether the © symbol is present or not. The practical value of displaying the symbol is communication: it makes the claim visible, names the rights holder, and discourages casual copying.

A well-formed notice is three pieces: the © symbol (or the word "Copyright" or abbreviation "Copr."), the year of first publication, and the name of the owner. Some notices add a rights declaration such as "All rights reserved" — historically required by the Buenos Aires Convention, and today common but no longer strictly necessary in most jurisdictions.

The © symbol is not the same as registration. In some countries, formally registering a work gives additional legal remedies (for example, statutory damages in the United States) that are not available to unregistered works — but the symbol itself can be used on registered and unregistered works alike. This page is general reference and is not legal advice; for a specific situation, consult a qualified practitioner in your jurisdiction.

Related Symbols & When to Use Them

• © (Copyright) — creative works: text, code, photographs, music, video, software. U+00A9.
• ℗ (Sound recording) — audio recordings specifically. Distinct from the copyright on the underlying composition. U+2117.
• ™ (Trademark) — a claim to a mark used in commerce. Does not require registration. See the trademark symbol guide.
• ® (Registered trademark) — only permitted for marks formally registered with the relevant trademark office. U+00AE.
• ℠ (Service mark) — equivalent of ™ for services rather than goods. Less commonly seen. U+2120.

Common Mistakes

• (c) vs ©. The ASCII substitute (c) is widely recognised but is not a legal copyright notice in every jurisdiction. Where it matters, use the real symbol.
• Stale years. Footers frequently display a year that hasn't been updated. Generate the year from code — for example new Date().getFullYear() in JavaScript — or use a range like © 2018–2026 to cover the span of first publication to current year.
• Copyright on public-domain material. Adding © to a work already in the public domain doesn't create rights where none exist. The same applies to content licensed under Creative Commons — follow the licence's attribution rules, don't overwrite them.
• Confusing ©, ®, and ™. Copyright covers works; trademarks cover brand identifiers. Applying the wrong symbol is a common drafting error in marketing copy.

Technical Details

Related Symbols