This article is from the Songwriting FAQ, by Greg Skinner gds@best.com.
You should check with the Copyright Office of the country you live in
for a definitive answer to this question. In the US, your material
is considered to be copyrighted if it exists in a fixed form. This
means once you write the song out on paper or to a computer disk file
and put your name on it, it is copyrighted.
There is also the method of registering a copyright. In this case,
one sends their material in a fixed form to a copyright office, where
it is filed. This is considered (by many) to be the strongest form
of protection for material, meaning it is the most likely to hold up
in court should someone attempt to use your material without
permission.
 
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