Although a notice is not legally required to assert copyright on works published on and after March 1, 1989, displaying a copyright notice on websites is still a very good idea. A notice clarifies who owns the work, emphasizes that the owner asserts copyright, and encourages contact by those who wish to use the material. If any legal disputes arise, a posted notice may help defend against claims of "innocent infringement".
Ownership of copyrighted works created at the University is determined by UC's Policy on Copyright Ownership, rev. 2021. Additional clarification is included on the "Works created at UC" copyright education webpage.
According to the U.S. Copyright Office (see Copyright Basics [PDF]), a copyright notice should contain all of the following three elements:
- The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright", or the abbreviation "Copr.";
- The year of first publication of the work (or of creation if the work is unpublished); and
- The name of the copyright owner, an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a
generally known alternative designation.
Examples
|
Use by Others:
Posting notice that material belongs to the University does not prevent others from using the material under appropriate circumstances. In some cases, permission (or "license") to use a work can be as simple as a letter or permission statement. As stated in the Campus Online Activities Policy section on Copyright (https://security.berkeley.edu/policy/campus-online-activities-policy#copy), "It is helpful for you to post permission notices for appropriate use of online works by others."
Example
|