How to Copyright Articles. Many people with websites worry about their articles being stolen, but there are a few things that can be done to protect original works. Getting a copyright for articles and other original works is fairly simple and can protect works from infringement if the matter is pursued in court. A copyright can't protect a work from being stolen, but it does provide a way to prosecute those that steal it.

Do nothing, and your articles will still legally have a copyright, according to the current copyright laws. Concentrate on your creative output instead.

Discourage anyone from violating your copyright by making your copyright known. Put a copyright symbol on each page that contains your original work. Draw or type a copyright symbol on every typed page that is being submitted for publication.

Make the copyright symbol noticeable to a casual reader, such as with a large font or by placing it in the same place on every page. Add your name and the year next to the copyright symbol.

File for a formal copyright from the United States Copyright Office. Register to have your copyright put on the public record to get some added protection against infringement. Go to the copyright office's website to find the appropriate forms. Print them, fill them out and send them to the specified address.

Keep the copyright on your works for 70 years from the date they were written, as long as the items were written on or after 1977. Go after any infringements by invoking the law and by keeping any documentation you have about when it was written.