According to U.S. Copyright Law, any original work, including books, music, movies, videos, computer programs, artwork and designs, and patents, is legally protected.  This protection extends to both published and unpublished works.

In most cases, the information or material you find is copyrighted unless it is in the public domain which means it can be freely duplicated or used by anyone.

An author/creator does not have to register a work with the Copyright Office. It is automatically protected by the Copyright Law as soon as it is created.