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Is a Copyright Notice with Multiple Years Legitimate?

Circle-C symbol representing a copyright notice with multiple yearsWe all have seen a typical copyright notice (e.g., “Copyright 2013 Anyhow, Inc.”) countless times. However, every once in a while, someone will see a copyright notice with multiple years (e.g., “2010-2013”) and will wonder whether it is legitimate.

As is explained in Copyright Protection in One Easy Lesson, 17 USC Section 401 states that a copyright notice must contain three elements.

  1. The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), the word “Copyright”, or the abbreviation “Copr.”
  2. The year of first publication.
  3. The name of the copyright owner.

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