Is it illegal to print a copyright logo on something that is not copyrighted?

Question

I am custom making a t-shirt for my boyfriend for Christmas and a running joke between us is to say "copyright 2007 something .com". I could explain the joke to you but it is inconsequential to this question. LOL!

Can I add "© 2007 www.HisName.com" to the bottom of my design even though it's not really copyrighted?

Answer 1

It IS copyright.

All artistic creations are the copyright of the creator. You don't have to register the copyright for it to be copyright.

Placing a fake name as the name of the copyright holder might cause a problem if you ever DO want to enforce your copyright, but it's not illegal.

Richard