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Originally Posted by filrabat
(b) Send one (or is it two?) copies of your work to the Copyrigh Office
(c) Send a $30 check to them (but check the fee carefully)
Generally, you have to wait 4 to 6 months to get word on whether your work is approved, but this is just the expected time frame, not a guarantee.
Assuming the USCO approves your copyright application get a copyright in the mail, this will not only make whomever will help you think twice before ripping off your work, it also provides something extra (and verifiable!!) for your resume.
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I don't think that the copyright office actually does much review of the submitted material. Copyrights are official the moment you set pen to paper--disputes are settled in the courts. That's why it is handy to have a copy registered with the copyright office, they can certify that your version did exist at a certain prior time.
You cannot copyright ideas per se, though. Someone could express the idea in a different way, without violating copyright. The reason for registering copyright is to establish priority, that you had expressed the idea in a legible and public form before anyone else.