Not since 1978.
One must apply to the copyright holder for permisson to use their copyrighted item.
If you created it, you hold the copyright. To help enforce that right, you should clearly mark the item as being copyrighted. To bring a lawsuit, you will have to copyright the item through official channels through the Copyright Officer of the US Government.
Not since 1978.
Not necessarily. It's the year the item was copyrighted, which may be different than when it was actually made.
Yes, if you have used it without permission from the copyright holder or an exemption in the law.
It is the symbol that indicates copyright. Copyright means the owner has control of the item and can determine how it is distributed. The Constitution of the US establishes the Copyright Office and the protection of these rights. International Copyright laws are getting better and are being enforced globally. © This symbol means that the item is copyrighted. For example, if a book is copyrighted then the writer of the book owns the rights to the book, so that if any part of it is copied or used eleswhere without the copyright owner's permission, that is against the law, and the person who breaks the copyright can be prosecuted. Normally it means that whatever it is referring to is correct.
No. You hold a copyright for anything that you have created. You do not have to register to have a copyright on material. You must properly mark the item with the copyright symbol or the words Copyright, the name of the copyright holder and the year it went into effect. This sounds accurate. Especially though as laws change the copyright aspect may change. It really helps to go to a legal forum that will better answer is it illegal to questions. This one may help http://www.isitlegalto.com and you may ask other is it illegal to questions. Hope this helps!
No. In the US that requirement was changed in 1989
No. Since 1989, when copyright law was amended to bring it into alignment with the Berne Copyright Convention, it is no longer necessary for a copyright symbol to be displayed to establish or maintain protection. Copyright exists from the moment you create an original work, and that can be something as simple as a photo of your child.
Copyright exists in an item as soon as it is rendered into "permanent" form. The copyright symbol (©) is not needed, although placing it does give the copyright owner an easier time when trying to legally enforce a copyright infringement claim in the US. Before 1978, the symbol was needed to establish copyright under US law. Before about 1960, if you neglected to include the copyright symbol in a published work, it went immediately to the Public Domain. After about 1960, there was a way to remedy that defect, but anything published without the copyright symbol in the US before then was and is free to anyone to use as they see fit.
No, not all music is copyrighted. Any music that you hear on the radio or buy on the internet is probably got a copyright on it. The only things that will not have a copyright will be music for which the copyright has expired. The laws have changed, but in general, anything published prior to 1923 has entered the public domain. Anything published since then is likely protected for the life of the creator plus 70 years. And anytime you create something, whether it is a book, or writing, or web page or music, you have a copyright to that item.
Without a license, yes. Of course, a more accurate answer would depend upon what the item is, how you obtained a copy and how you intend to use it. For example, it is perfectly legal to use an authorized copy of copyrighted items for your own personal use, in private. Similarly, you may use copyrighted items of various types in a non-profit classroom without permission of the copyright owners.