diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS.md b/CONTRIBUTORS.md
index 30c2d98f2..a51b6bc5c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Syft Contributors
 
-The following Syft components were contributed by external authors/organizations.
+This file credits notable contributions from external authors and organizations; see `git log` for everyone who has contributed to Syft.
 
 ## GraalVM Native Image
 
diff --git a/COPYRIGHT b/COPYRIGHT
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..de40a28ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/COPYRIGHT
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Copyright (c) Anchore, Inc.
+
+See LICENSE for the full license text.
+See CONTRIBUTORS.md and git log for a full list of contributors.