What © means, whether you still need it, and how to type it — click to copy.
Click to copy · U+00A9
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Character | © |
| Unicode code point | U+00A9 |
| Unicode name | COPYRIGHT SIGN |
| Unicode block | Latin-1 Supplement |
| Category | Legal mark |
The circled-C notice was formally written into US law by the Copyright Act of 1909, replacing older and more cumbersome required notices like "Entered according to Act of Congress." The 1952 Universal Copyright Convention helped standardize © internationally as the recognized shorthand for claiming copyright.
Its legal weight changed in 1989, when the US joined the Berne Convention: copyright protection became automatic the moment an original work is created, with no notice required at all. © remains standard practice anyway — it puts the public on clear notice of a claim and can help establish an earlier date of knowledge in an infringement dispute, even though it's no longer legally mandatory.
| Platform | Works? |
|---|---|
| Instagram bio / caption | Yes |
| Discord | Yes |
| TikTok display name | Yes |
| Yes | |
| Roblox / PlayStation / Xbox username | No — alphanumeric only |
| Method | Input |
|---|---|
| Windows Alt code | Alt+0169 |
| Mac | Option+G |
| HTML entity | © or © |
| CSS content | content: "\00A9" |
© is one of dozens of punctuation and typography symbols in the full special characters library.
Browse Special Characters →No, not in the US or most countries today. Since the US joined the Berne Convention in 1989, copyright protection is automatic the moment you create an original work — no notice required. Adding © is still good practice, since it clearly signals your claim and can help establish an earlier date of knowledge if you ever need to prove infringement.
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0169 on the numeric keypad (Alt+0169). On Mac, press Option+G. In HTML, use the entity © or ©.
© protects creative works (writing, music, art, software). ™ signals an unregistered trademark claim on a brand name or logo. ® signals a trademark that's officially registered with a national trademark office — using ® without real registration is illegal in the US, while © and ™ carry no such restriction.