20:15 · This sign appears on one the first pages, before the beginning of the text, in nearly all modern-day books and magazines. It stands for copyright. The author's lawful right to his or her own writings was not self-evident during the first centuries after the discovery of printing. Books before the time of Gutenberg were hand-written copies of earlier works and considered the property of, if not the public, then the monastery or center of learning in whose library they were kept. It was not until 1709, in England, and then 1866, through the Bern convention, that the author's right or ownership was almost universally accepted.
    In some countries the copyright automatically belongs to the author, whereas in others this sign followed by the name of the author and the date of the first publication of the work, and of the publication of the current edition of it, is necessary for the protection of the author's right to his or her work.
    Semiotically the for endless possibilities is restricted by the letter c for copyright, written within it. This illustrates a common mode in Western ideography. See, for example , an international ideogram for the highest permitted speed on public roads.