But this coming year is SPECIAL! It'll be the first time since 1987 that all 4 digits of the year are different!

It just wouldn't be the holiday season without Scott trying (and inevitably failing) to prevent people from "correcting" the copyright date.

Even though I already know all you're going to say, I still laugh anyway. Good one, Scott!

You could put the copyright date in roman numerals. Then you'd only get complaints from Basic Instructions readers who also finished grade school - and (let's be honest here) how many of those could there be???

Or use the Mayan calendar - but you'd better be quick!

It might be very difficult to restrain from commenting on the copyright, just for the lulz.

Are you familiar wit the Streisand effect? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striesand_effect

Wait.... shouldnt it have a 2011 copywrite date since that is when you actually made it?

Is it wrong that I was looking forward to this year's edition of this comic?

Now to go buy the 2013 calendar...

Hee hee hee.
Priceless.

Have you and Rick discussed the new Star Trek Teaser yet?
What's your opinion on the japanese Spoiler?

If he does the comics up to a month before posting, could someone please explain all the reruns?

I can't remember the decision from previous years - are those mutant Jazz Hands in panels 3 and 4, or do they fall under some other kind of weird-hand category?

I remember seeing this a few times. Does it actually decrease the number of e-mails you get about this?

This is based on material from a previous year. Shouldn't the copyright be for 2011-12?

I never tire of reading this every year.

NOW EVERYONE CALM DOWN!!!

I reckon we can milk this one to at least March. Whadda say guys?

oh, please. We all know that the world ends in just over a week. This is a moot point.

(sarcasm)

Interesting phenomenon here.
So the only thing being updated is the number corresponding to the copyright date, and yet, that is meriting a newly-declared copyright.
Revolutionary new legal loophole! Tell Disney -- just make the copyright date part of the design!
You're a genius, Scott!

Hi there Scott. Great copyright you've got there. Particularly like the little c in a circle, but really, that '1' digit for the win - made me spurt tea down my nose!

Oh, and the comic's not bad either.

I don't think we have to worry about 2013 copyright dates when the world is ending on the 21st ;)

My AA sponsor said it's okay to insult you about this, Scott.

(he also said I won't have to make 'amends' for doing so)

But Scott, if the date isn't updated it'll be the end of the world!

(I apologize for that pun)

I'm in a committed relationship so you don't need to worry or anything, but I must say that your outfit in this strip makes you look much more suave and debonair than usual. And your eyes are strangely compelling.

Dear Scott

I'm writing to you, because I couldn't get any celebrity to post this comment. I suggest you change the copyright date to the following format:

"2003 - XXXX", where XXXX is the next year, which would be updated already in August. I think this would clear up the situation nicely.

Worst case scenario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrlS9_n8GX4

People gather to bask in the glory of a four-digit number and a little C in a circle!

BRILLIANT!

Ahhh sweet deja-vu!

Now we play the waiting game...............................The waiting games sucks, lets play Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

Of course you know now we have to do it for fun. Yet Again.

Aaaaah!
The smoking jacket and 'cwavat' (I always assume that people who use the word 'cravat' speak like Elmer Fudd, though I don't know why I make this assumption).

It is a pleasure to see their return, and how appropriate that it is for a public announcement of global significance.

I have alerted all national organisations in the UK, and warned them to be aware that there will be a wave - indeed tsunami - of pointless, whining, see-pitying and yet strangely smug complaints in relation to this strip.

Apparently they are used to it.

hahah, a year flies by with you...
btw, didn't anyone ever tell you that the best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them?

First panel brings up a good point - Scott, have you had celebrities ask to be in your comic yet (I say "yet" because I am sure it will happen one day)?
P.S. the comic with all the sci-fi girls doesn't count (yes I remember that one well - mostly because I DID recognize all of them).

Nah, the world is going to end in 2012, so you'd better keep it (c) 2012 in case the universe is fooled and thinks the end of the world isn't quite yet.

Better safe than, uh, can you be sorry when the entire universe you were in has ended..?

Hey, if you just leave the date as © MCTVIVI from now on, readers will probably assume that that's a kind of Roman numeral date that they don't know about. We're not so smart out here, either.

Scott:

This was not a rerun for me (I must have missed it somehow other times). But, I must say this one had me laughing so much that tears also streamed from my eyes as well. It is absolutely perfect. I remember the many comments last year about the copyright date.

Brilliant work, as always, but this one has that something extra too!

PipeTobacco

Panel 3 gets me every year.

When I brought this matter to my AA sponser's attention, he decided that I should wash coffee cups at my home AA meeting for a month. Thanks a lot Pal!

Yay! - IASAC Day is coming! (International Ask Scott About the Copyright day). A day celebrating the misery of one not-quite celebrity.

Of course, it's annoying that stores are jumping on the celebrations early (Xmas isn't even over!).

Scott, I propose you sell a set of "2013" stickers in your shop that folks can apply to their screens. Sure, it'll interfere with everything else they do, but that's not your concern, right?

I always liked this PSA; it's one of your best comics. Though, people will either forget this comic in January, or think they're funny by bringing up the copyright in the comments.

Panel 1 is the basic rationale for every commercial featuring the business owner and/or their family.

Hate to break it to you, dude, but the day you started to have problems like this was the day you lost the right to claim to be not-a-celebrity. :)