How to Make a Copyright Page

Under U.S. copyright law, writers and other creators may receive an intellectual property right for “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression.” A copyright owner has the exclusive right to publish a work in the United States once she has created an original work and fixed it in a tangible format. U.S. law does not require the display of copyright notices on a copyright page or elsewhere, but placing a copyright page in a work is prudent. In addition to deterring infringement, a copyright page can present important information.

Instructions

1. Determine where to place the copyright page. In books and other print publications, the copyright page usually appears on the page following the title page. See Copyright Office Circular #3, “Copyright Notice," for other acceptable placements in print and other formats.

2. Insert a blank page in the work’s word processing or desktop publishing document at the place where you want the copyright page to appear. This page will be your copyright page.

3. Draft a copyright notice by inserting the copyright symbol © onto the copyright page or typing “Copyright” or “Copr.” Type a space and then the name of the work’s copyright owner, which can be a person or a company, and the date of the work’s publication. For example, “© John Doe 2010” would be a legal copyright notice.

4. Add a reserved rights warning. Although not required for copyright protection, stating on the copyright page that all rights for the work have been reserved informs potential infringers about the legal effect of a copyright. For example, a basic clause could read: “All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form without the permission in writing from the copyright owner.” This language usually appears immediately beneath the copyright notice.

5. Add contact information to make it easier for those seeking permission to use text from the work to get in touch with the copyright owner. Contact information often appears on the top of a copyright page, above the copyright notice.

6. Add publishing information. A copyright page often contains information related to the work’s publication. For example, a book’s copyright page usually provides its International Standard Book Number and its Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication data, as well as credits for copyrighted photos and copyrighted text used in the work by permission. A book’s copyright page can also provide the country in which the book was printed, information on the paper used to manufacture the book and the book’s publishing history, particularly if it's a translation or a subsequent edition of a previous work. Publishing information usually appears at the bottom of a copyright page.

7. Add optional information. Acknowledgments, dedications and other items that may not fit elsewhere in a work sometimes appear on a copyright page.

8. Save the document to preserve the copyright page.

Tips & Warnings

• Providing a copyright notice on a copyright page prevents infringers from claiming innocent infringement, a legal defense that could reduce damages in a copyright infringement lawsuit.

• Before creating a copyright page, scrutinize the copyright pages of similar works for guidance on potential placement, content and layout.

• A copyright page should be one page. If photo credits and permission information are lengthy, create a separate page or pages for them. Include a sentence on the copyright page that directs readers to the permissions page by providing its page number.

References

• Legal Information Institute: U.S. Code 17.102
• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Basics (PDF)
• "The Chicago Manual of Style," 15th ed.; University of Chicago Press; 2003

Resources

• U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 3, “Copyright Notice” (PDF)