Because your government website can be accessed all over the world, the © symbol or the words "Copyright" should be used on your site to claim the publication rights. The industry standard dictates that a copyright notice should be included on a website whenever it is publicly available over the Internet. Although not mandatory, using a copyright notice is a CivicPlus best practice because it can help to deter copyright infringements.
CivicPlus web designers have intentionally turned the copyright notice into a hyperlink so that when users click on the link, they are sent to a page setting forth copyright and other restrictions of use in more detail. Though not legally mandated, it is highly recommended to place one copyright notice for a website on the home page (usually at the bottom, in the footer).
If you would like to discuss the possibilities of moving the Copyright Notices link to another location (perhaps, under About Us or Contact Us) we will, of course, help you make that change, however, we do recommend the footer of the homepage as the industry-recognized standard and best practice.