Free Online Copyright Year Range Generator
Generate copyright notices and year ranges.
Notice details
A copyright notice is optional in many countries and does not by itself establish ownership. This tool only formats the years and text you provide; it is not legal advice.
About the Copyright Year Range Generator
A copyright notice usually combines three elements: the copyright symbol, the year or range of years, and the name of the owner. Footers, source files, books, and design portfolios all use small variations of that pattern. This generator keeps the wording consistent. It takes a start year and an end year, then produces a plain copyright line, a range line, a compact year range, and an HTML-escaped version that can be pasted into a template without breaking the markup.
The end year defaults to the current year, which is the value most websites want. If the work was created in a single year and has not been updated since, set both years to the same value and the tool will avoid the dash. If the work has been revised over time, a range such as 2020–2026 communicates the span. Some organisations prefer to show only the current year and update it annually; others show the first year of publication. There is no universal rule, so pick a convention, document it, and keep it consistent across your site and files.
What the outputs mean
- Short line: a compact
© year ownerform for footers and metadata. - Full line: adds the word "Copyright" and "All rights reserved" for jurisdictions and contexts where that wording is expected.
- Year range: the start and end years separated by an en dash, or a single year when they match.
- HTML entity line: uses
©and–so the notice survives template escaping and older content pipelines.
Practical notes
Copyright protection generally begins when an original work is fixed in a tangible form, not when a notice is added. A notice is still useful because it informs readers who to contact and can affect remedies in some jurisdictions. The year should reflect publication or creation, not the year of the latest trivial edit. When a company changes its legal name, update the owner line rather than backdating the notice. When multiple owners exist, list them accurately or use a collective name that you are entitled to use.
The HTML output is escaped for text content, not for an attribute inside a JavaScript string. If you place
the notice inside a JSON-LD block or an inline script, use the plain text version and let your framework
escape it. For a software project, keep a LICENSE or COPYING file as the
authoritative grant; a footer notice is not a substitute for license terms. This tool provides formatting,
not legal advice, and it cannot tell you who owns a work or how long protection lasts in your jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
Should the end year always be the current year?
Only if the work is still being maintained or published. For a finished work, the year of publication may be more accurate. Consistency matters more than chasing the calendar every January.
Is "All rights reserved" required?
It is not required by the Berne Convention, but it remains common and harmless in many contexts. Some organisations omit it; others include it because their legal review expects it.
Can I use the HTML entity version in an email template?
Yes, if the email is HTML and the client renders entities. For plain-text email, use the short or full plain line instead. The tool gives you both forms so you can choose.