Copyright info

Display current or multiple years?

[spikedo55]

I hope this question isn't too lame. I'm changing the copyright info on my site. Got me thinking. When your site has been up multiple years, do you display the copyright info like this:

© 2000-2003

Or, like this:

© 2003

Perhaps, it matters in some legal sense to add the previous years of operation. Perhaps, it doesn't. Does anyone know?

[JamesR]

Just talked to a lawyer who used to do copyrights last Sunday. He said technically anything you put in writing that is yours is copyrighted under the law. But, to have legal recourse, you must prove it. That statement on a page may help deter some theft, but the only way to get it absolutely protected is by paying for it to be registered.

I don't think it matters what year. The year it was made and published would be logical to me.

[DrDoc]

You might want to take a look at [whatiscopyright.org...]

.. gives you a few hints

[martinibuster]

A related thread [webmasterworld.com]. I put a link there to an article that discusses copyrighting a web site.

[Triple_H]

this is only a suggestion..

if you started the website in year 2000, maybe you could do
© since 2000

correct me if i'm wrong

[sonjay]

I use the following snippet:

Copyright 1996-<!--#config timefmt="%Y" --><!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" -->

I started with "Copyright 1996." Then in 1997 and 1998 our lawyers made me change the year to include the current year. By 1999 I got smart. Now I have my server do it for me. :)