A copyright statement is not required for information to be copyrighted.
- Copyrighted works are not limited to those that bear a copyright notice.
- The use of a copyright notice is no longer required under U.S. law, although it is often beneficial. Because prior law did contain such a requirement, however, the use of notice is still relevant to the copyright status of older works.
- A copyright exists from the moment an author fixes an original idea in a tangible medium. An author does not need to take any action to secure a copyright; however, there are benefits to registering a copyright at the U.S. Copyright Office.
- Use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendant’s claim of a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages, except as provided in section 504(c)(2) of the copyright code. Innocent infringement occurs when the infringer did not realize that the work was protected.