Yes, you can use the copyright symbol Â as part of your Copyright Notice on any original piece that you have created. The copyright symbol, in addition to the year of the copyright and the name of the owner, used to be required by law in order to enjoy full copyright protection. However, that requirement has been removed from the Copyright Act. Any works published on or after March 1, 1989 are not required to have a Copyright Notice. Original works are now considered protected as soon as they have been created. Some creators still choose to use a Copyright Notice on their works to put others on notice that the works are protected and may not be copied without the creator's explicit permission. Using the copyright symbol is a written claim of ownership. For additional protection, some creators also register their copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office.