Are family crests copyrighted?

A coat of arms itself is generally not protected by copyright, because it is defined by its blazon, a written description that anyone can draw from. A particular drawing of the arms can be copyrighted by the artist who made it. So you can draw arms from a blazon yourself, but you should not copy someone else's artwork.

Ten artists painting one blazon produce ten different pictures, each the artist's own work. Copyright is not the only rule. Arms used as logos can be registered as trademarks, government arms often have their own laws, and in Scotland displaying arms that are not yours breaks heraldic law whatever the copyright position.

For your own projects the safe route is an original design. The coat of arms symbols guide helps you choose charges that suit your family instead of borrowing another family's arms, and the coat of arms maker is free.