All you have to do is put the copyright symbol on it and it's
copyrighted :) the gov actually doesn't like it when people try to
copyright thru them =]

Bye! :)

The letter c in parentheses (c) is NOT a legal copyright symbol.  The only two legal symbols are:

1. The word Copyright
2. The letter c enclosed by a full circle:  ?

Any other designation does not constitute a valid copyright.

Tom Lake

As long as you created the program yourself and didn't use anyone elses code
(except public domain code or code that you bought legally), you own the
copyright.  As of 1991 or 1993 (can't remember which), you don't even have to
put a copyright notice in your program, but if you do, it should read as
follows:
        Copyright 1997 Your Name Here

The little "(C)" thing won't hold up in court.  If you're in graphics mode, a
'C' inside a circle is fine, but the old text mode C-in-parintheses is no
good.

Also, unless your company is 100% legit (you pay taxes for it, etc.), you may
want to use your own name instead of the company name, since the company name
may not hold up either.  To my knowledge, using a company name (i.e., "Man on
the Moon" software) to represent your software is perfectly legal, but if you
decide to sue someone who violates your copyright, it may be a lot harder to
prove you're the real author.

The US Government requests that you register all copyrights.  The current cost
for registering a copyright on software is $20.  You can get more information
at:
                http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/copy1.html

Hope this helps.  If anyone finds any errors in this message or has something
to add, please feel free.

-Jesse

====================================
Very funny Scotty!
Now beam down my clothes!
====================================

Neither. It's anything after January 1, 1978.

Nonsense! You don't need (c), (C) or any other. Although it's a good
idea for clarity. You're giving out eroneous information...

You're in the ficticious name realm with above paragraph. In order to
operate legally, you need to file a ficticious name form with the
local and state governments and run an ad in a local paper with a
general circulation, and in the local legal journal.

For more info check out the Computer Software Copyright Act of 1980
and the 1976 Copyright Reform Act. I spent several semester studying
this junk. It's amazing to me how much of it I remember.

JE McTaggart