U00AE

U+00AE is the Unicode code point assigned to the registered sign, commonly rendered as the circled R symbol (®). It is used to indicate that a trademark or service mark has been officially registered with the appropriate government authority. The symbol is part of the Latin-1 Supplement block in Unicode and is widely supported across modern fonts and systems.

Encoding and representation: The code point U+00AE can be encoded in UTF-8 as two bytes: 0xC2 0xAE. In HTML and XML, it can be represented by the named entity ® or the numeric character reference ®. In plain text, the glyph ® appears when the font supports it.

Usage and legal considerations: The symbol signals registration but does not by itself convey ownership or rights. Trademark rights arise from registration and/or use, and the symbol serves as a notice to the public and can deter infringement. Usage practices vary by jurisdiction; some regions encourage or require displaying the symbol in certain materials, while others do not mandate it. The registered sign is distinct from other marks such as ™ (trademark) and © (copyright).

Limitations: Not all marks are registered, and registrations may differ between countries or regions. The symbol does not imply worldwide or universal protection. Owners may need to register in each jurisdiction where protection is sought, and enforcement depends on local law.

See also: Trademark, Registered trademark, Trademark notice, Copyright symbol.