Are copyright notices really required?

Question

Ever since I made my first web page 13 years ago I have followed the pattern of showing a copyright notice in the footer of each page.

Over the years the format of this notice has changed in the following way;

• Copyright © <NAME> yyyy. All rights are reserved.
• Copyright © yyyy <NAME>
• © yyyy <NAME>
• © <NAME>

This has generally mirrored the format used by Google. However, I recently noticed that they no longer display a copyright notice on their home page nor have one in their source code/meta tags. I see they still display it on most (if not all) other pages. I understand that Google are very keen to keep the word count down on their homepage, which could be the reason for this sacrafice, but my question is more general and relates to all websites.

Since I've always just done it out of habit, I'm hoping someone can explain if/when I a copyright notice is actually required to protect your content and rights. Also, when it is required, is there a format in which the notice must adhere to in order to be valid?

Answer 1

From the Wikipedia article on copyright:

Under the Berne Convention, copyrights for creative works do not have to be asserted or declared, as they are automatically in force at creation: an author need not "register" or "apply for" a copyright in countries adhering to the Berne Convention.

Declaring and even registering your copyright may still provide some benefits(again, check your country) in the situation you ever need to actually enforce your rights. Obviously, if you are not in one of these countries, your situation is different and additional information will be required.

Answer 2

From When Do You Need a Copyright Notice on Websites (And Where Do You Place It)?

If you have a website with original content, your content is automatically protected by copyright. This protection means that others can't lawfully use the original text, images, videos, or music on the site without your permission. If they do, you have a claim for copyright infringement.

To deter unauthorized use of your website content and to possibly win greater damages in a future lawsuit for copyright infringement, you should place a copyright notice on your site.

How to Format a Copyright Notice and Where to Place It:

A valid copyright notice contains three elements:

• the copyright symbol ©, or the words "Copyright" or "Copr."
• if the website is published, the year of publication, and the name of the copyright owner.

These elements don't have to appear in any particular order in the notice, but most notices are written in the order set forth above.

Check out their site for more details...