By today's law, copyright automatically occurs when work is put in a material form.
It is your intellectual property and if challenged, you will have to prove that it is your work. The word ‘control’ beside the copyright symbol is often used to indicate that the writer him or herself, owns the copyright.
Your own arrangements or versions of traditional material also become copyright to you. Generally, works are protected by copyright law for 50 years after the writer's death, or the initial publishing date, but this can vary from country to country.
Last Updated: August 08, 2007