It’s recognised internationally and although it’s been in wide use since 1955, the symbol does not have to be present for copyright to exist.
When you’ve created something new and original, and it’s in a fixed and tangible form, your creative rights apply automatically, no © symbol needed, but it’s best practice to use the symbol, so other people know it belongs to you, and know how to find you if they’d like permission to use your work.
Like a sign that says “private property” the © symbol is universal for announcing the copyright owner’s claim to that work. You’ll see this sign everywhere – on books, records, artwork, articles, films and more.
Very simply, the symbol, your name and the date, notify all parties that the copyright for this work belongs to someone specific, for example: © Suzy Public, 2022.
Sometimes people think that if there's no visible © symbol, that work doesn't belong to anyone, and is open and free to use, but that's rarely true. If you want to use an unsigned work, you need to do whatever you can to track down the owner, so you can get permission. And if you are the owner, it's important for you to make sure you have solid proof of copyright, so keep those sketches and early drafts of the work. Just putting the © on a work doesn't prove you own it, you need a history to show provenance, in particular if you need to enforce your © at any time.
Using the © symbol tells everyone that the rights to this work belong to a particular person, which makes it easier for everyone to do things right, and it doesn't have to be there for protection to exist, but hey, doesn't it feel good to let the world know that you've done something amazing!
Are you interested in finding out how copyright applies to you?
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Written by Karen Workman, Kaiwhakahaere Whakapa | Creative Rights Educator