[KissTC]

From the U.S Copyright Office - U.S. Copyright Office

When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

That means that even under U.S law Copyright is AUTOMATIC...The very moment you make it, you own it and it is protected...Free and AUTOMATIC.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created.

There is no such thing as temporary copyright, verbal IP copyright or as can be seen below "poor man's copyright".

I’ve heard about a “poor man’s copyright.” What is it?
The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.

As I stated before, one should not be confused about what the U.S wants and what the Copyright Law is. The U.S would just love it if every person paid them a nice little fee to get what they already have.

From the moment you make a "copyrightable" material it is AUTOMATICALLY Copyright protected. It does not even have to be published. Most things people are told such as what is appearing and being edited and changed at an alarming rate above, is just plain wrong.

At the end of the day...If you did not make it, then it is not yours to use. It does not matter about where you find it, or whether it has a copyright notice attached, or anything else.

If you don't have express (written) permission and you are not sure whether you are allowed to use something or not, then chances are someone else owns it and you are not allowed to use it.