What the copyright symbol means
The ©︎ sign tells readers that a work is protected by copyright and who claims it. You do not need it to get copyright: in the US and the more than 180 countries of the Berne Convention, a work is protected automatically as soon as it is created and fixed in some form, such as a file or a printout. In the US, the notice has been optional since March 1, 1989.
The symbol still helps. A notice warns people that the work is not free to copy, and under US law a proper notice stops an infringer from claiming "innocent infringement" to reduce damages. To sue over a US work, you generally must register it with the U.S. Copyright Office first. This is general information, not legal advice.
How to write a copyright notice
A standard notice has three parts: the ©︎ symbol (or the word "Copyright"), the year of first publication and the owner's name, for example ©︎ 2026 Jane Smith. Websites often show a range such as ©︎ 2018–2026. "All rights reserved" is a leftover from an old treaty and is no longer required, though it does no harm.
Sound recordings use ℗ instead of ©︎, so an album can carry both: ©︎ for the artwork and notes, ℗ for the recording itself. The mirrored 🄯 is the copyleft sign for works licensed so that anyone may share and change them. Circled letters such as ⓒ and Ⓒ look close but are not the copyright sign, so always use ©︎ in a real notice. More styled letters are on the C symbol page.
How to type the copyright symbol
Windows: hold Alt and type 0169 on the number pad. Mac: press Option + G. Word and Outlook: type (c) and AutoCorrect changes it to ©︎, or press Ctrl + Alt + C. Google Docs: (c) also turns into ©︎ automatically, or use Insert > Special characters.
iPhone: ©︎ is in the Symbols section of the emoji keyboard, or set up a text replacement. Android: Gboard has ©︎ on the =\< symbols page. HTML: ©. LaTeX: \textcopyright. For brand names, see the trademark symbol and registered trademark symbol pages.