IanKelley - 3:21 am on Dec 7, 2001 (gmt 0)

Just to clarify about copyrights --although ya'll seem to have gotten it mostly right about halfway through this thread :-)

-You do not need to file with anyone anywhere in order for original material to be copyrighted. The act of publishing it copyrights it.

-Copyright notices are basically just for fun. They have absolutley no legal meaning in most countries (US included).

-Finally... here's the one that no one has mentioned yet... You do not need to file for copyright in order to litigate. You case will be equally as strong with or without a formal filing as long as you're just trying to get the infringer to stop.

If you want to go for damages, however, that's when you have to officially file.