The
copyright symbol, or
copyright sign,
© (a circled capital letter "
C"), is the
symbol used in
copyright notices for works other than sound recordings (which are indicated with the ). The use of the symbol is described in
United States copyright law, and, internationally, by the
Universal Copyright Convention. The symbol is widely recognized, but under the
Berne Convention is no longer required to obtain a new copyright in most nations. For instance, the United States eliminated the copyright symbol requirement as of March 1, 1989, but its presence or absence is legally significant on works published previously.