I have stuff I write, would like to post on poetry web sites etc., do I need to copyright? and how do I do that?
This seems to getting asked a lot here recently.
A copyright is automatically attached to any work once it is reduced to a tangible form. Registration gives you the right to sue anyone illegally copying it for punitive damages. Without it, you can sue for actual damages and unless you plan to make millions off of your poetry, that’s probably not anything you are going to worry about.
Check the numerous other threads in this forum about this subject.
It would probably be a good idea. I don’t know how to “officially” CR something; I just put the little circle-c symbol on everything, and hope nobody goes to the trouble to check 
I’m one of only 7266 posters NOT personally welcomed by Cecil.
Official registration costs $30.
Library of Congress Copyright FAQ:
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/faq.html#q16
This is one way of “publishing” an idea to establish a priority without involving some other third party that might claim to have prior rights for some reason. It will still be accessible to others, but it’s not like sending it to a magazine or movie agent.
To “officially” copyright something (without registering), write “Copyright 2000 by Your Name” on the document. You can use the c-in-a-circle character, or abbreviate “Copr.” © in parenthese is technically not correct.
However, you can’t lose copyright protection any more by failing to follow the form. You have limited protection by merely publishing the work (putting it on a web page would probably count as publishing), whether there’s a notice or not. If you register, you should have a notice, but you can still get damages if it’s left out.
But without registration, or some way of validating that you have priority, someone could steal your work, claim it’s theirs, and then it’s your word against theirs. Registration gives you a way of proving your priority, but there are other ways.
I’ve copywritten quite a few a things. Be warned! It takes 9 months to a year to get the official copy right certificate! But it’s neat to have something with your name on it in the Library of Congress.
Yeah, the library of Congress is extremely slow, owing to the sheer volume of submissions they recieve, but it’s worth it to register, especially if you intend to publish.
While you have to send copies of your work to the Copyright Office to give to the Library of Congress, the Library of Congress doesn’t keep everything it gets. I believe it only keeps about 50% of all submissions. A lot of vanity press material gets tossed out.
This implies that you should register before you publish. There’s no need. See Copyrights and Meteorites
Once your published, the publisher should handle the copyright. If you’re putting it up yourself, you’re the publisher and if you’re truly afraid your work will be stolen (which is a very unlikely occurrance, even if you put things on the Web), you should register it.
You need to be sure it’s copied right.
What about mailing a copy to yourself, and never opening it? I’ve heard that this is enough proof of ownership, and will hold up in court, but I don’t know if it’s true or not.
Delta-9’s idea I have heard as a legally valid way to establish the date of something: The postmark clearly indicates the date, therefore it’s a cheap way to get something notarized. 33 cents is cheaper than the Library of Congress route of 30 dollars.