Put simply, anytime you put anything into a form understandable by human or computer, you immediately have copyright on that creation. Paint a painting; you have copyright. Write a poem; you have copyright. Write a program; you have copyright.

There are exceptions, of course. Work you do as part of your employment is work-for-hire and your employer has copyright. Lists of straight information, such names and phone numbers in a phone book, aren't creative and therefore aren't protected by copyright. The list goes on.

Officially registering copyright for an item with a copyright office is a separate, optional step. You have copyright without it. Registering copyright just helps if someone infringes upon your copyright and you take that person to court.