Copyright FAQs - What does the Copyright Symbol © mean?

The Universal Copyright Convention states that any creator of a copyright work may designate their ownership of copyright by marking their work with this symbol along with the year the work was created and the name of the owner of copyright. Although the UK is not a party to the Universal Copyright Convention, the placement of the notice will probably negate any implied rights to use that may arise in third parties. The implied licences that a court would be prepared to order exist depend upon the express terms and circumstances of the surrounding the public exposure of the work.

To mark a copyright work, the word copyright or the copyright symbol should be accompanied by the year the work was created and the name of the copyright owner.