Sound Recording Copyright Symbol ℗

The copyright symbol used to indicate copyright in a sound recording (phonogram) embedded in a phonorecord is called the sound recording copyright symbol or phonogram symbol (letter P in a circle) (LPs, audiotapes, cassette tapes, compact discs, etc.). The Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms, and Broadcasting Organizations introduced it first. As part of its adherence to the Geneva Phonograms Convention, the United States added it to its copyright law in 17 U.S.C. 402, which codified the Copyright Act of 1976.

Phonogram, the legal term used in the majority of English-speaking nations to refer to works known in U.S. copyright law as "sound recordings," is represented by the letter P in the word "phonogram."

A sound recording has a separate copyright from the underlying work, which is typically a musical work expressed in written lyrics and musical notation, if any. Even if it is performed by the same artist, the sound recording copyright notice only covers the copyright for the sound itself and does not apply to any other renditions or versions (s).

When the US gave limited copyright protection to sound recordings in 1971, the symbol was first incorporated into US copyright law. The Geneva Phonograms Convention, which the US had contributed to drafting, was expected to be ratified. The Sound Recording Act of 1971, also referred to as the Sound Recording Amendment of 1971, was passed by Congress on October 15, 1971. It amended the 1909 Copyright Act by adding protection for sound recordings and establishing a copyright notice requirement for sound recordings.