Copyright & Trademark Symbols © — Legal Characters to Copy & Paste
Copyright and trademark symbols are legally significant Unicode characters used to indicate intellectual property rights. The © Copyright, ™ Trademark, and ® Registered Trademark symbols are essential in business documents, websites, product packaging, and creative works. Understanding when and how to use each symbol correctly is important for legal compliance.
Copyright Symbol ©
The © Copyright Symbol (U+00A9) indicates that a work is protected by copyright law. A copyright notice typically includes the © symbol, the year of first publication, and the copyright owner's name: "© 2024 John Smith." In most countries, copyright protection is automatic upon creation of an original work — the © symbol is not legally required but serves as notice to potential infringers. In the United States, copyright registration with the US Copyright Office provides additional legal benefits.
Trademark Symbol ™
The ™ Trademark Symbol (U+2122) indicates that a word, phrase, logo, or symbol is being used as a trademark, even if it hasn't been officially registered. Any business can use ™ to claim trademark rights in a mark they're using in commerce. The ™ symbol does not provide the legal protections of a registered trademark but signals the owner's claim to the mark.
Registered Trademark Symbol ®
The ® Registered Trademark Symbol (U+00AE) indicates that a trademark has been officially registered with the relevant government trademark office (e.g., the USPTO in the United States, the EUIPO in Europe). Only registered trademarks may legally use the ® symbol. Using ® on an unregistered trademark is illegal in most jurisdictions.
How to Type Legal Symbols
On Windows: Alt+0169 for ©, Alt+0153 for ™, Alt+0174 for ®. On Mac: Option+G for ©, Option+2 for ™, Option+R for ®. In HTML: © for ©, ™ for ™, ® for ®. In Word: Type (c) for ©, (tm) for ™, (r) for ® — Word auto-corrects these.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between ™ and ®?
™ (Trademark) can be used by anyone claiming trademark rights in a mark, regardless of registration status. ® (Registered Trademark) can only be used for marks that have been officially registered with a government trademark office. Using ® on an unregistered mark is illegal.
Do I need to register copyright to use ©?
No. Copyright protection is automatic in most countries (including all Berne Convention signatories) upon creation of an original work. You can use © without registration. However, registering copyright in the US provides additional legal benefits, including the ability to sue for statutory damages.
Related Symbol Collections
See also: Currency Symbols for $ € £ financial notation, Math Symbols for mathematical notation, Degree Symbols for ° measurement notation, and Check Mark Symbols for ✓ verification.