# Using the Copyright Symbol? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 4, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397 "2021-04-04T19:01:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/1 "2021-04-04T19:01:20Z")
BTW this question also applies to the trademark and patent symbol. Would it be appropriate to use it on these boards, when using a copyrighted term? Here’s the symbol: ©. I actually think I may have done this, used ©, before (a very long time ago, FWIW). What is the _‘correct’_ use of it? I know it’s not necessary. And for that matter is it wrong to use it, if your not the copyright holder? Of course you all realize that use of any copyrighted material on the internet (and elsewhere for that matter) is governed by the [Fair Use Doctrine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use). If you use it _‘within reason’_, you have nothing to worry about. What that exactly means, I don’t know, and would require another thread (to say nothing of several volumes of law books I’m sure). 🙂 EDIT: BTW you can rest assured my actions on this message board certainly conforms to the Fair Use Doctrine, at least to the best of my knowledge 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/2 "2021-04-04T23:57:12Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > Would it be appropriate to use it on these boards, when using a copyrighted term? Terms don’t hold copyright protection. That would likely be a trademark. You use the copyright symbol when you are the owner of a copyright and want to make it clear that a document is under copyright protection. There’s no reason for you to ever use a copyright symbol for someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/3 "2021-04-05T00:03:22Z")
By the same token, though, you’re also not going to get in trouble for using it. Still, I wouldn’t bother. Except that the board software seems to think that all Republican politicians are registered trademarks. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/4 "2021-04-05T02:36:09Z")
The copyright symbol looks a lot like the Chicago Cubs logo so I guess you could use it in a Game Room thread about baseball? 😁 [![](https://ssl.gstatic.com/onebox/media/sports/logos/PBmgKhiGoYOGTl1L5FGaiQ_48x48.png) ](https://ssl.gstatic.com/onebox/media/sports/logos/PBmgKhiGoYOGTl1L5FGaiQ_48x48.png) ---
**Author:** ![Enjoy\_Slurm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enjoy_slurm/32/3937_2.png) [@Enjoy\_Slurm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enjoy_Slurm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/5 "2021-04-05T03:29:12Z")
Isn’t the copyright symbol copyrighted? So wouldn’t using it be a violation of copyright? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/6 "2021-04-05T03:44:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > . Except that the board software seems to think that all Republican politicians are registered trademarks. You mean like this? - Chuck Grassley (R) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/7 "2021-04-05T05:16:50Z")
> [@Enjoy\_Slurm](#): > > Isn’t the copyright symbol copyrighted? So wouldn’t using it be a violation of copyright? It isn’t and it wouldn’t be eligible (at least in US copyright law) because it does not meet the [threshold of originality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshold_of_originality). (It is just the letter C in a circle.) ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/8 "2021-04-05T05:27:08Z")
Jokes are difficult in the written medium. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/9 "2021-04-05T06:00:25Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > . Except that the board software seems to think that all Republican politicians are registered trademarks. > > You mean like this? > > - Chuck Grassley (R) Yeah, using the backslash (`\`) works as an escape for anything that is part of Markdown. I always try it to see if I get something I didn’t want. \* I can, for example, write asterisks by typing `\*`, without worrying about words becoming italicized or lines starting with bullet points. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/10 "2021-04-05T15:59:36Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > BTW this question also applies to the trademark and patent symbol. No, you never have to use any of those symbols as a third party. You can, to make a point or as parody or just to annoy others, but I can’t think of a situation where you would be required to. ©2021 Exapno\_Mapcase™ Pat. Pend. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/11 "2021-04-06T00:28:42Z")
^ You forgot, “Reg. Penna. Dept. Agr.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/12 "2021-04-07T14:46:13Z")
Also forgot U pareve. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/13 "2021-04-07T15:14:01Z")
U? Man, you dipped your toe in the wrong ocean. [https://aabeeexpress.com/msg-silent-killer-2/2017-recommended-symbols/](https://aabeeexpress.com/msg-silent-killer-2/2017-recommended-symbols/) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-copyright-symbol/939397/14 "2021-04-07T15:50:52Z")
Yeah. I meant the U in a circle, but couldn’t be arsed to hit a Unicode look-up site to get the correct code.