What Website Copyright Date Do I Use?
Copyrights are intended to be for specific pieces of work. So in the good ol’ days of simple brochure sites it was easy to know what website copyright date to use. And if you still have a totally static site today that hasn’t changed since it was first published live on the Internet, then the answer is quite easy: The year your site went live.
However, in today’s web-world, it’s imperative to keep your content fresh and new. A website is therefore in continual flux through blogs, comments, feeds, daily specials, changing call-to-actions, and other new or updated page content. This makes the material on the site actually “published” at different times. Some web developers feel that having the copyright date as of inception helps to show longevity of the site (and therefore credibility of the business) because copyright dates on websites are often associated with the length of time a business has been around. Other developers argue that keeping the copyright year current indicates that the site is evolving and providing new material.
For the best of both worlds, many are now choosing to display website copyright dates as a range—from the inception year to the current year—to blanket cover all the material in the site, regardless of the exact date specific content was posted.
Another trend in the posting of website copyright dates is to not include dates in the footer at all, but rather simply link to a separate page regarding copyrights. Government entities, for instance, generally do not own rights to what is posted on their websites and have been doing this for quite some time. A couple examples of copyright policy pages are the Library of Congress’ Legal page, and the White House’s Copyright Policy. (Which, by the way, is buried with no visible links in the footer or anywhere else, so you have to actually use the site’s search tool to find it!)
So which is the best option for displaying your site’s copyright information? They’re all viable choices. And keep in mind that copyright notices are informational; not mandatory to post in the U.S.. The important thing is to make sure that your website copyright dates cover any material you wish to protect. If you want to get really sticky about protecting the content on your website, be sure to speak with an Intellectual Property Attorney who can advise you properly about your own unique proprietary concerns.
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patricia duarte
Great information! I’m personally, always looks for a copyright year. It gives me a quick idea of how often the site is updated specially if there are not blogs posted.
Also, I’m creating a brand new website for a new company I wondered if I should add an inception date (since there’s several years of experience in the area) rather than the year the website will be crated. Now I’m informed.
I can’t wait to read more from you.
BRANDgfx
Glad you found it helpful Patricia. It’s a common question these days, especially from new companies or those launching a website for the first time who don’t want the copyright to make it seem like they’re brand new to the business. Good luck with your new company and site!