No

Posted by Beast of Steel from fw2.netconnect.net.uk on August 01, 2001 at 14:31:10:

In Reply to: Whine, eh? posted by Sean on August 01, 2001 at 14:16:40:

: Hey:
: I could be wrong here, but do you not have to register a copyright before you can lay claim to something? Otherwise, I could copyright the air people breathe and make a fortune...or am I misinformed?

: Cheers,
: Sean

You do not have to register a copyright. The copyright for any piece exists upon creation. However, you are advised that you do register valuable (important, dear to your heart, etc) work with the copyright office in Washington DC.
In case that anybody uses your picture for a commercial purpose you may opt to sue for damages. In order to do that, you will have to register the copyright of this particular work. Just hope that the other party didn't register it first! You would have a hard time to convince anyone that you are the original creator of the work.

Therefore:
1. Always show a copyright notice on your work
2. If it's a valuable (if it has commercial potential) piece, register it for a small fee with the copyright office in Washington DC.

And no, the air ( or the Moon!) cannot be copyrighted.

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