There have been several notable copyright court cases in which the original artist/author (usually authors) has successfully proven their copyright without having filed an official form at the copyright office. This was done by mailing the original documents, including notes and scribbles, to one's self, allowing the postmark to become the date of copyright.

Wondering how you can legally do this with your digital art? Whilst in the creation portion, save work-in-progress (WIP) files. ON THE DAY YOU FINISH YOUR PIECE, burn each of your WIP files, the finished program file (.PSD for Photoshop, .UFR for Ultra Fractal 4, etc...), and any end-result, display-ready copies you may have made to a CD-R. (NO CD-RW, as they can be overwritten.)

Now seal the jewel case in an envelope, address it to yourself, from yourself, pay the appropriate postage, and wait for it to return to you. Every file you create on the computer is digitally date-stamped, down to the minute. On top of that, there will be the time-honored postmark.

Why include the WIP files? This is very important, to prove the process by which you created your work. It also shows how much time you took on the piece, which will come in handy if/when you need to sue for rightful compensation.

I've not yet been hit by thieves, but I ran into `DragonWinter's story, which shook me to the core. Please protect your work, and share your knowledge/resources with others who may benefit from your experience.

Ciao!
~just-kate