How do you know if something is copyrighted?

Answer 1

The copyrighted object or phrase will have a symbol shown as ©. The copyrighted object/phrase may also have something near it saying copyright info or just copyright signifying it has a copyright.

Unfortunately, since notification is not required for protection, it's often the case that you have to assume something is protected by copyright unless you can explicitly prove otherwise.

Answer 2

In most countries, the law states that as soon as an original piece of work is created, it is automatically copyright as soon as it exists (copyright protects the form of expression such as an exact arrangement of words forming a poem or novel) and no formal declaration of copyright need be made. This is very different from the protection of ideas themselves which usually have to be officially declared in the form of patents.

Documents or other works may make use of the following text "Copyright © [Year of Creation]" to donate that it is copyright, but this is not required by law.

In general, assume what you are reading or viewing is copyright unless you see an explicit statement otherwise.

Please see the related link.

Answer 3

First, look for an indication on the material itself: a copyright page in a book, a watermark on a photo, a notification on a website, and embedded metadata in digital files are all places to find copyright information.

Next, try a database of copyright records, such as the one maintained by the Library of Congress. For materials published prior to 1978, you may need to request a search of the Copyright Office card catalog.

It is a safe assumption that anything not clearly marked as Creative Commons, but which is clearly from 1978 or later (ie, virtually anything digital), is protected by copyright unless proven otherwise. At that point, the challenge becomes identifying the rightsholder.

Answer 4

Everything new is copyrighted unless it says that it is public domain. Large companies use copyright, patent, and trademark. That way they are covered under all legal possibilities.

Answer 5

Because notification is not required for protection, it is safe to assume that anything you encounter is protected unless specifically stated otherwise.