I am the staff for Lawyers Forum on Compuserve. An attorny member 
who specializes in intellectual property law has a FAQ he sends out 
when this question arises. Basically he says that no formal action is 
needed to own the copyright on something you write but that if you 
wish a ceremony, hold the document up and say solemnly, "I copyright 
thee." His point is that there is a good bit of difference between 
merely posessing the copyright and being able to do something about 
it.

   Much of what's being discussed here is really about some area of 
the law other than copyright.

   For instance David's concern about vets on Poodle-L posting 
material that is then lifted and posted elsewhere with a subsequent 
harm to an animal is really about the illegal practice of veterinary 
medicine by the person who posts the advice elsewhere. Copyright has 
nothing to do with it.

Eric Johnson
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