The Copyright Act does not require that any symbols be used to indicate that works are subject to copyright. However, if you are going to distribute your work to the public, you should use the copyright symbol to let others know that the work is protected.

The copyright symbol

The copyright symbol consists of a letter “c” in a circle, followed by the name of the owner of the copyright and the year the work was first published. For example, the copyright symbol, followed by Jane Doe, comma, 1999, indicates that Jane Doe is the author of the work that was first published in 1999. You can use the copyright symbol even if you have not registered your copyright.

Copyright symbols in other countries

Other countries have different requirements. If you want copyright protection in countries which require copyright registration, it is advisable that you use the copyright symbol. The United States is one of those countries which has requirements for registration and marking that Canada does not. For more information, refer to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

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