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Copyright Example: 29 Copyright Notice Templates and Examples of Copyrighted Work for 3D Artists (2026) | Blended BORIS | Digital Art IP

TL;DR: copyright example

A standard copyright notice looks like this: © 2026 Jane Doe. All rights reserved. It has three required parts: the © symbol (or the word "Copyright"), the year of first publication and the owner's name. "All rights reserved" is optional. Below you will find more than 25 copy-paste copyright examples for every place a 3D artist publishes work: portfolio footers, Sketchfab and ArtStation pages, render watermarks, image metadata, glTF files, .blend files, asset packs, Creative Commons licences and 3D prints.

You will also see examples of what copyright protects in a 3D project (your model, textures, renders, animations and add-on code) and what it does not (ideas, basic shapes, exact copies of real objects, names and purely AI-generated output).

Key takeaways

Copyright is automatic. A notice is optional, but it warns people off and, in the US, stops an infringer from claiming they did not know the work was protected.
The basic formula is © + year + owner. Use a year range on sites you update, and the year of first publication on a single work.
Put notices inside your files, not only next to them: image metadata, the glTF copyright field and a licence text block in the .blend travel with every copy.
Removing that information can be its own violation in the US, with $2,500 to $25,000 per violation in statutory damages.
Copyright protects your creative expression, not the idea, the technique or the real-world object you copied.

What is a copyright example?

People use "copyright example" for two things: an example of a copyright notice (the line you put on your work) and an example of copyrighted work (what the law actually protects). This guide covers both, with examples taken from 3D and Blender work instead of corporate website footers. If you are new to the topic, start with copyright basics for 3D artists and the complete guide to digital art copyright protection.

A copyright notice does not create your copyright. Under the Berne Convention, your model is protected the moment you save it, with or without a notice. The notice is a label: it tells everyone who owns the work, since when, and what they may do with it. For what is protected automatically, see do 3D models automatically have copyright protection?.

Copyright notice format: the 3 parts

Part	What to write	Examples
1. Symbol	©, the word "Copyright" or the abbreviation "Copr."	© / Copyright / Copr.
2. Year	The year the work was first published. For a site or a portfolio you keep updating, use a range	2026 / 2019–2026
3. Owner	The copyright owner: you, your studio, or the client if they own the work	Jane Doe / Pixelforge Studio Ltd.
Optional: rights statement	What others may or may not do	All rights reserved / Licensed under CC BY 4.0
Optional: extras	Website, licence link, AI-training clause	janedoe.art / No AI training without permission

Under US law (17 U.S.C. § 401), these three elements make a notice valid. A notice has been optional for works published since 1 March 1989, and a few exceptions let you leave out the year, for example for artwork reproduced on toys, jewellery or useful articles. "All rights reserved" comes from an old treaty that no longer has any practical effect, but it is still a clear signal, so most artists keep it. The US Copyright Office explains the rules in its copyright notice circular.

Two other symbols you may see: ℗ is for sound recordings (useful if you also make the soundtrack for your animation), and ™ / ® are trademark symbols for names and logos, not copyright. The differences are explained in copyright vs trademark vs patent for Blender artists.

Copyright notice examples you can copy

Replace the name, year and title with your own. Use straight text: the © symbol works everywhere (on Windows type Alt+0169, on Mac Option+G, or simply write "Copyright").

Basic copyright notice examples

1. Standard notice · any work

2. Word form · plain-text places, code comments

3. Year range · portfolio or shop you keep updating

4. Studio or company · work owned by your business

5. Two owners · a collaboration you own together

6. Unpublished work · WIP you send to a client or a festival

Copyright examples for 3D artists, by placement

Portfolio, ArtStation and Sketchfab

7. Portfolio footer · every page of your site

8. Artwork description · ArtStation, Behance, Instagram caption

9. Sketchfab viewable, not downloadable · model description

10. Newsletter or email footer · studio emails

Platforms add their own rules on top of your notice. Read Blender marketplace copyright policies and marketplace copyright policies before you choose the wording for a store page, and see how to build a professional 3D portfolio for where the footer fits.

Renders, image metadata and video

11. Render watermark · corner of preview renders

12. Image metadata (IPTC / XMP) · fill these fields in your image editor or DAM

13. Animation end card · last frames of a reel or short

14. Video description · YouTube or Vimeo

15. Sound recording · a soundtrack you recorded yourself

℗ 2026 Jane Doe

A visible watermark is easy to crop, so pair it with metadata. Good presentation still matters: photography and presentation tips for 3D models shows how to keep previews attractive with a mark on them, and how to protect Blender models from theft covers watermarks and metadata in more depth.

Inside the 3D file: glTF, .blend and asset packs

16. glTF / GLB file · the built-in asset.copyright field of glTF 2.0

17. .blend file · a Text block named LICENSE, or a custom property on the scene

18. Asset pack LICENSE.txt · inside every ZIP you sell

Rock Pack 01 © 2026 Jane Doe. You may: use these models in personal and commercial renders, games and animations. You may not: resell, share or redistribute the source files, alone or in another asset pack, or use them to train AI models. Full licence: https://janedoe.art/licence

19. Marketplace listing · product page

20. Mixed sources · when you used other people's assets

Blender has no dedicated copyright field, so a Text block or a custom property is the simplest way to keep the notice with the scene. The software itself is free, and Blender's open source licence does not apply to your artwork: the models you make are yours. For selling, see how to sell Blender 3D models online and the guide to selling 3D models online.

Client work, add-ons and 3D prints

21. Client licence (you keep copyright) · deliverables and invoices

22. Client owns the work · after a full transfer or work for hire

23. Blender add-on code · top of every .py file

24. 3D print · embossed on the base, plus the listing text

On the model: © JD 2026 Listing: Printed copies for personal use only. Commercial printing requires a licence.

Blender add-ons that use Blender's Python API are generally distributed under the GPL, so example 23 uses a GPL licence line. For STL files, selling STL files on Cults3D, Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory covers the licence options marketplaces offer.

All rights reserved vs some rights reserved vs no rights reserved

25. Creative Commons BY · free model, credit required

"Dragon Sentinel" by Jane Doe is licensed under CC BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

26. Creative Commons BY-NC · free for non-commercial use only

"Dragon Sentinel" by Jane Doe is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Commercial use requires a separate licence: hello@janedoe.art

27. CC0 (no rights reserved) · assets you give away completely

To the extent possible under law, Jane Doe has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to "Rock Pack 01". CC0 1.0.

28. Crediting someone else's CC work · when you use a CC BY asset

"Old Lantern" by Sam Lee, licensed under CC BY 4.0, modified (retextured) by Jane Doe.

A good attribution names the title, author, source and licence, and says if you changed the work. Creative Commons licences are free, but you cannot take them back for copies people already have, so choose before you publish. Compare the options in Creative Commons vs copyright for Blender assets and copyright vs Creative Commons licensing, and read community guidelines for sharing Blender work for credit etiquette.

Copyright notice example with an AI-training clause

29. AI-training reservation · portfolio, store pages, file metadata

© 2026 Jane Doe. All rights reserved. The owner reserves all rights to use this work for text and data mining and AI training, including under Article 4(3) of EU Directive 2019/790. No AI training without written permission.

In the EU, a rights holder can opt out of commercial text and data mining, and the opt-out should be machine-readable for content published online, so add it to your site's terms and metadata, not only to a caption. A notice like this does not stop scraping on its own, but it removes the argument that you never said no. More templates for AI-assisted work are in copyright templates and examples for AI asset protection and copyright notices for AI protection.

Examples of copyrighted work in a 3D project

Item	Protected by copyright?	Why
Your original character model or sculpt	Yes	A sculptural work with creative choices in form and detail
Hand-painted texture or a texture you photographed	Yes	A 2D artwork or photograph
Render, turntable or product image	Yes	A pictorial work, separate from the model
Animation or short film	Yes	An audiovisual work
Blender add-on, script or geometry nodes setup shared as code	Yes	Code is protected as a literary work
Tutorial video, PDF guide, written documentation	Yes	Literary and audiovisual works
A default cube, UV sphere or simple primitive	No	Not original
The idea of a cyberpunk samurai or a low-poly style	No	Ideas and styles are free to use
An exact digital copy of a real car or product	Usually no	Faithful copies lack originality (Meshwerks v. Toyota, 2008)
The purely functional shape of a bracket or a phone stand	No	Function is for patents or design rights
Your studio name, a product title or a slogan	No	Protect these with a trademark
Output generated entirely by an AI tool	No (US)	No human author; your edits and arrangement can be protected

Two real-world copyright examples matter a lot for 3D artists. In Meshwerks v. Toyota (10th Circuit, 2008), wireframe models that faithfully copied Toyota cars were held not original enough for copyright, so a model is protected by the creative choices you add, not by the hours you spent. And in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands (US Supreme Court, 2017), artistic features of a useful article were protectable only if they can exist as art on their own, which is why the decoration of a 3D-printed lamp can be protected but not its function.

Copyright does not last forever. In the US, works published in 1930 entered the public domain on 1 January 2026, and in the EU and UK most works stay protected for the author's life plus 70 years. See free from copyright for what becomes free next and how to use it. Details are in copyright duration and renewal. For everything else that has no copyright, from US government works to CC0 assets, see what no copyright means. When you work with AI tools, the line between your work and the machine's matters: see AI-generated art and copyright in 2026.

Copyright infringement examples (and what is not infringement)

Situation	Infringement?	What to know
Someone downloads your Sketchfab model and sells it on a marketplace	Yes	Copying and distributing without a licence; send a takedown notice
A buyer puts your asset pack's source files in their own pack	Yes, if your licence forbids it	That is why example 18 says "no redistribution"
You model and sell a well-known film character	Usually yes	Fan art is a derivative work of the original; trademark issues on top
You use a CC BY-NC texture in a paid asset	Yes	The licence does not allow commercial use
Someone crops your watermark and reposts your render	Yes	Removing your copyright information can be an extra violation in the US
A reviewer shows a small render of your work to critique it	Often no	Likely fair use; see the fair use guides below
Another artist models a dragon in a similar style	No	Ideas and styles are not protected

For the limits of reuse, read fair use guidelines for Blender artists and fair use in digital art. If your work is copied, use the DMCA takedown guide for artists first, then legal remedies for digital art infringement.

Why a notice helps, and what it cannot do

A copyright notice…	Yes or no
Creates your copyright	No. Copyright is automatic
Tells people who to ask for a licence	Yes
Stops an infringer from claiming "innocent infringement" in the US	Yes, if the notice is on the copies they saw
Counts as copyright management information when it sits in the file or metadata	Often yes. Removing it can cost $2,500 to $25,000 per violation in the US
Proves when you created the work	No. Anyone can type any year
Lets you sue in the US	No. For US works you need a registration first

A notice states a claim; it does not prove it. To prove that you created a model first, you need dated, independent evidence. To enforce in the US, you need a registration, explained step by step in how to register copyright. Together, the three cover each other: the notice warns, the proof of creation shows you were first, and the registration opens the courtroom. The copyright best practices for Blender artists put this into a routine, and blockchain copyright registration for Blender creators explains how a certificate works as proof.

Add proof to every copyright notice, for free. BlendedBoris is a free plugin for Blender that records your 3D model on the blockchain and gives you a lifetime ownership certificate. It creates a digital fingerprint that links the model to you, so the year in your notice is backed by dated proof that nobody can edit later. Share the certificate link in your listing or attach it to a takedown notice.

👉 Get the free BlendedBoris plugin

If you want the certificate in your notice, add a line like this: © 2026 Jane Doe. All rights reserved. Ownership certificate: [your BlendedBoris certificate link]. Setup takes a few minutes with the BlendedBoris plugin tutorial.

Common copyright notice mistakes

Using a fake year. Use the year of first publication. Backdating a notice can hurt your credibility in a dispute.
Naming the wrong owner. If a client bought all rights, the notice should name the client. If you only licensed the work, it should name you.
Only putting the notice on the web page. Pages get stripped; files travel. Add metadata and in-file notices too.
Claiming third-party assets. CC0 textures, bought kitbash parts and fonts are not yours. Credit them, as in example 20.
Using ® for copyright. ® means a registered trademark, and using it for something that is not a registered mark is not allowed in many countries.

For a broader checklist, see must-know copyright tips for digital artists and protecting Blender models from theft.

Copyright examples in numbers

Fact	Figure
Required parts of a US copyright notice	3 (symbol, year, owner)
Is a notice required in the US?	No, not for works published since 1 March 1989
Countries in the Berne Convention (no formalities)	More than 180
US statutory damages for removing copyright information	$2,500 to $25,000 per violation
US statutory damages for infringement of a registered work	$750 to $30,000 per work, up to $150,000 if willful
Copyright term in the EU and UK (most works)	Author's life + 70 years
Works that entered the US public domain on 1 January 2026	Works published in 1930
Copy-paste notice examples in this guide	29

Conclusion

A copyright notice takes ten seconds to write and works for years. Use © + year + your name on everything, add a clear licence line where people can download or buy your files, and put the notice inside the file as well as next to it. Then back it up: dated proof of creation shows you made the work first, and a registration lets you enforce it in the US. Copy the examples above, change the names and dates, and your work will carry its ownership with it wherever it goes.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between countries; check with a lawyer for important contracts and disputes.

FAQ: copyright examples

What is an example of a copyright notice?

How do I write a copyright notice for my 3D model?

Write © + year + your name, and add the model's title and a licence line if people can download it, for example: "Dragon Sentinel" © 2026 Jane Doe. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Put it in the description, the file's metadata and the file itself.

Do I need a copyright notice to be protected?

No. Copyright is automatic in every Berne country. The notice is optional, but it informs people and, in the US, stops an infringer from claiming they did not know.

No, it has no legal effect today. It is still useful as a clear signal that you do not allow reuse without a licence.

Which year should I put in a copyright notice?

The year the work was first published. For a website or portfolio you keep updating, use a range such as 2019–2026.

Can I put a copyright notice on fan art?

You can put a notice on your own contribution, but fan art of a protected character is usually a derivative work, and the notice does not give you rights in the original character.

Where do I put a copyright notice in a glTF file?

What are examples of copyrighted works?

Original 3D models and sculpts, paintings and textures, photos and renders, animations, music, books, software and add-on code. Ideas, facts, names and basic shapes are not protected.

What is not protected by copyright?

Ideas, styles, techniques, facts, names, titles and slogans, basic shapes, purely functional designs, exact copies of real objects and, in the US, purely AI-generated output.

Does a copyright notice prove I made the work?

No. A notice is a claim. Dated proof of creation, such as a blockchain certificate, and a registration are what back it up.

Copyright notice glossary

Term	Meaning
Copyright notice	The line that names the owner and year of a work, such as © 2026 Jane Doe
All rights reserved	A statement that the owner keeps every right; no legal effect today but a clear signal
Creative Commons (CC)	Free public licences that let others reuse your work on conditions you choose
CC0	A tool to waive all your rights, as close to the public domain as possible
Copyright management information (CMI)	Owner, author, title and licence information attached to a work, protected against removal in the US
IPTC / XMP	Metadata standards used to store creator and copyright information inside image files
Derivative work	A new work based on an existing one, such as fan art or a remix
Public domain	Works no longer protected, or never protected, that anyone may use
Fair use	A US defence that allows limited use for purposes such as criticism, teaching or news
Proof of creation	Dated, independent evidence that a work existed at a given time

Violetta Bonenkamp, CADChain co-founder

2026-10-12 18:00 Guides