©
Copyright symbol
The copyright symbol (©) is a legal notice used to indicate that a work is protected by copyright law. While no longer required in most countries since the Berne Convention, it continues to serve as an important visual indicator of intellectual property rights.
Technical Details
- ASCII Code
- 184
- HTML Entity
- ¸
- Hexadecimal
- 0xB8
- Binary
- 10111000
- Octal
- 270
Usage & Examples
Programming
char symbol = '©'; // ASCII 184HTML/Web
¸ or ©Common Uses
How to Type This Character
Windows
Mac
💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!
Related Characters
About the Copyright symbol
Legal Significance
Introduced in the United States Copyright Act of 1909, the copyright symbol serves as a formal notice of copyright ownership. Although the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 removed the legal requirement in the U.S., it still provides important legal benefits in infringement cases.
Modern Usage
Even without legal necessity, the copyright symbol deters infringement and clarifies ownership rights. It acts as a visual reminder of copyright protection and can provide additional legal advantages during litigation.
Technical Details
The copyright symbol appears as ASCII code 184 in extended ASCII character sets, specifically in IBM's Code Page 437 developed in 1981. It is also represented in Unicode as U+00A9.
Alternatives
When the © symbol is unavailable, it's commonly approximated with (c) in parentheses, a practice accepted by the U.S. Copyright Office.
History of the Copyright symbol
Copyright Symbol Introduction
The copyright symbol © was introduced in the United States in section 18 of the Copyright Act of 1909, initially applying only to pictorial, graphic and sculptural works. It was created as a compromise - artists objected to putting the full word 'copyright' on their works, so the unintrusive 'C within a circle' was developed.
International Standardization
The Universal Copyright Convention (UCC) established the copyright symbol as an international standard. Any work displaying ©, the copyright owner's name, and year of publication would receive protection in all 40 signatory countries, making it globally recognized.
Expanded U.S. Usage
A U.S. amendment extended the copyright symbol's use from just artistic works to any published copyrighted work, allowing © as an alternative to 'Copyright' or 'Copr.' in all copyright notices.
ASCII Integration
IBM developed Code Page 437, an 8-bit ASCII extension that included the copyright symbol as character 184. This integration made the symbol accessible in the digital age and established its presence in computer systems.
Legal Requirement Removed
When the United States joined the Berne Convention, copyright notices became optional in most countries. The Berne Convention established that copyright exists automatically upon creation, making formal notices unnecessary for legal protection.
TRIPS Agreement
The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights reinforced the elimination of copyright formalities globally, further reducing the copyright symbol's legal necessity while maintaining its practical value.
Cultural Impact
Despite becoming legally optional, the copyright symbol remains ubiquitous in modern media, appearing on everything from books and movies to software and websites. It has become a universal symbol of creative ownership in the digital age.
Usage Examples
Publishing
ExampleTraditional copyright notice format
Digital Content
ExampleCommon web usage for brand protection
Software
ExampleSoftware licensing and attribution
Creative Works
ExampleVisual arts copyright marking