If you create your own artwork, music, or writing, and you're concerned about someone else copying those works, you should look into copyrights. A nice plain english guide to the basics of how to copyright protect something can be found at this article entitled Protecting Your Writing, Art and Music. Even more details can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress.

The Copyright Office contains some interesting internet related material, including the Amicus Curiae brief they filed in the case against Napster. Their what's new page also links to three large pdf files on the subject of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The first file is the study conducted by the Copyright Office, the second is the public comments received on the subject, and the third is the public hearing involving the DMCA. The comments from the Library Associations are definitely worth reading, as are the many comments made from the participants at the public hearing.
- William Slawski