Is it true that if I created something its automatically copyrighted?

Answer 1

It is automatic under international law, yes. Provided you created the item from scratch and have a clear copyright notice on the item.
However there may also be additional local laws in your country. Some countries may require you to register your work with some organisation in order to get legal aid when there is a copyright infringement dispute.

Aside from international law, in the United Kingdom, all works produced by an individual is automatically copyrighted under British law. That means if a British citizen writes a book and publishes it, that book is now copyrighted under both international and British law.

Unless the material was either:

• Posted on a website where content ownership is forfeited (wiki-based websites and such)
• Declared public domain
• Made available under a creative commons licence
  

if you use images available under creative commons, for example to make a book cover, you also may not be able to copyright the cover because the image you used is part of the creative commons.

You cannot copyright material that is not yours. You cannot copyright material that has been released under a creative commons licence. You cannot copyright material that was originally made by someone else and then altered or edited by you.
So if you re-write Romeo & Juliet with a few changes to some scenes - it is still not yours, so you cannot legally copyright it. It remains public domain.

Works are copyrighted during the life of the author or creator, and then for an additional 70 years (may depend on your country)after their death. When the copyright expires, the item becomes part of the public domain and is available for everyone to access, but NOT to modify, steal, claim as their own or re-copyright.