Re: [Savannah-hackers-public] (Valid copyright notices): Add (C) to the line.

[Bob Proulx]

address@hidden wrote:
> (Valid copyright notices): Add (C) to the line.
> -    `Copyright _year1_, _year2_, _year3_  _copyright-holder_`
> +    `Copyright (C) _year1_, _year2_, _year3_  _copyright-holder_`

AFAIK there is no legal requirement to have *both* the word Copyright
and the (C) C-in-a-circle copyright-mark.  AFAIK IANAL the mark was
originally written as the legally preferred symbol.  However when that
isn't practical then the word Copyright fulfills the full requirement.
In typeset works use of the C-in-a-circle mark alone is typical.  In
electronic works where the mark is available relying upon the mark
symbol and not using the word Copyright would be legal but would make
search for such things much more difficult.  Therefore always using
the word Copyright is preferred over only using the mark symbol.

The Information for Maintainers of GNU Software recommends both but
lists using the word Copyright without a C-in-a-circle mark as an
"alternative" but acceptable practice.

  https://www.gnu.org/prep/maintain/maintain.html#Copyright-Notices

  A copyright notice looks like this:

    Copyright (C) year1, year2, year3 copyright-holder

  ...
  Alternatively, the '(C)' or C-in-a-circle can be omitted entirely;
  the word 'Copyright' suffices.

I am writing this simply to communicate and perhaps get ahead of
things that there is no need to wave through copyright notices adding
a c-in-a-circle mark if one was not previously present.  It is
basically a don't-care state.  If one is making other changes then
sure feel free to change it to the form recommended in the Information
manual.  Or not.  It is acceptable either way and does not change the
legal status of it.

Bob