| © THE POOR MAN'S COPYRIGHT © You establish Copyright © the moment your work is created and fixed in a tangible form.
Not everyone uses the © symbol, so do not just assume their work is not Copyright just because you do not see that symbol on someone's work. The Poor man's Copyright is basically mailing your written work/patten to yourself, and keeping the unopened mail for future reference as proof of ownership. NOTE: Even though they say that technically a copyright takes place the moment your work is created, there is no proof that this type of Copyright is legal nor will hold up in a court of law.
So if your serious about copyrighting your works, then it might be best to contact a lawyer and or register your work. The Poor Man's Copyright Myth: http://www.intellectlawgroup.com/Article%2010.htm
U.S. Copyright Office Fees: http://www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html
Where did Copyright come from?: http://www.benedict.com/Info/Law/LawHistory.aspx The Copyright Symbol is made by using the Alt key on your keyboard and using the number pad. (do not use the numbers at the top of the keyboard it will not work, you must use the number pad on the side.)
Hold down the Alt key and type in 0169 to make this: © | 
