Business Documents for Visual Artists
The © Copyright Symbol
Depending on how up-to-date your reference materials are, who you are listening to and the copyright laws of your country, you will find a great deal of conflicting advice on the use of the copyright symbol. Some say it is unnecessary to add the copyright symbol to your work as you own the copyright to your work automatically. While I agree that this is technically true, it is no trouble to add the symbol with your name and the date to the work you do. I also add the short and simple phrase "All Rights Reserved" to make a nice copyright statement for all my websites, although it is not legally necessary to add that anymore either.
Maybe I do this because it gives me comfort knowing that if by some chance somebody did steal anything off one of my web pages, they wouldn't be able to claim ignorance of the copyright. It's a way for me to claim to the world: "This work is mine, I worked hard to create it using my skills, talents, abilities, education, hard work and time. My work has value and I deserve all due credits and benefits. I appreciate you showing respect for my work by not ripping it off and putting your name on it. Thank you very much"
If you want to add the © symbol to your work in Photoshop, simply copy this --> © and paste it into your Photoshop file. Add your name and the year, and the words "All Rights Reserved" and you're good to go!
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These pages are for educational purposes only. This site offers a combination of fact, anecdotal information and editorial opinion of the writer, none of which should be construed as legal advice. If you require legal assistance on any aspect of copyright law, please contact a lawyer.