Hi nihil,

Over here authors, publishers, recording companies, photographers etc automatically get copyright to their work. They do not have to file anything.
It's the same here on this shore...technically you are covered the moment you create something...copyright only provides a date that you can use in court to verify ownership...a self-addressed package with a postmark provides the same security...
registering your property doesn't even provide legal relief, copyright holders are responsible for policing and protecting their own work regardless...that's why these copyright policing organizations got started up...
essentially, a copyright registration is useless except as a way to verify ownership.

The copyright laws themselves are based upon the same principles as all law...the honor system...except....until recently they had no teeth...there was no criminal case you could legitimately pursue 15+ years ago, it was a civil matter...you took the culprits to court at your own risk and then you had to prove you suffered damages...for the most part it was a waste of time unless we're talking major damages like when the Chiffons sued George Harrison over the song ' My Sweet Lord ' in which it was proven to be a slower re-make of ' He's So Fine " ...

but for the most part it was a waste of time to pursue copyright infringers in civil courts...now, however, with the new penalties of ' criminal ' law taking effect under copyright law...this is a whole new ballgame

Eg