talismania
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2010
- Posts
- 157
The only ways to avoid having your work posted elsewhere without your permission is to not post it on the internet, or register a formal copyright for each story you write/publish.
Actually, only the first part is true. Having registered for the formal copyright won't prevent your work being hijacked. What it does do, however, is give you the legal ammunition to go after anyone who does it and, if you discover them and take them to court, to prevail in a court of law.
The author does own the copyright the moment he or she creates the work. Certifying that creation is the legal part.