Sound Recording Copyright
Block: Letterlike Symbols
- Symbol
- ℗
- Unicode
U+2117- Unicode name
- SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT
- Block
- Letterlike Symbols
- Category
- Symbol, Other
- Type
- Unicode symbol
The sound recording copyright sign ℗ is U+2117, formally named SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT. Unicode NamesList also records “published” and “phonorecord sign” as informative aliases and cross-references © COPYRIGHT SIGN. It is also distinct from circled letter P characters, so the code point is the reliable way to identify the mark in copied text.
What ℗ Identifies in Unicode Text
The character ℗ is Unicode U+2117 SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT. Unicode NamesList also records the informative aliases “published” and “phonorecord sign.” U.S. Copyright Office guidance distinguishes the ℗ notice symbol for phonorecords from the general © copyright symbol used on copies.
Unicode identifies which sign is present; the notice context explains why that sign appears. This is why ℗ should remain U+2117 in copied credits or notice text instead of being replaced by © or by a circled letter P.
Have another unfamiliar character? Open what is the ℗ symbol called? and identify it from the glyph itself, a Unicode value, or its appearance.
Encoding ℗ in HTML and Source Text
U+2117 = decimal 8471 = HTML ℗ / ℗. A Unicode escape-style form is u2117. Its UTF-8 bytes are E2 84 97.
Use these values when a notice, brand string, or exported record must preserve the exact mark even when the glyph cannot be entered directly.
℗ and © Are Separate Copyright-Related Signs
Unicode encodes ℗ as U+2117 SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT and © as U+00A9 COPYRIGHT SIGN. NamesList cross-references the two records, but their formal names and code points remain distinct.
That distinction is useful in copied metadata, credits, and notices: preserving the original character means keeping ℗ as U+2117 instead of replacing it with the more familiar © merely because both are copyright-related signs.
℗ Is Not a Circled Letter P
Unicode NamesList cross-references Ⓟ U+24C5 CIRCLED LATIN CAPITAL LETTER P from the SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT entry. The visual construction is similar, but the Unicode identities are different: ℗ is U+2117 and Ⓟ is a circled Latin letter.
If copied text must remain exact, identify the code point rather than reproducing the shape with a circled P character.