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 [log in to unmask]