I am wanting to put a picture of a painting I did, that has a poem I wrote written into the painting. It is more the poem I want to protect than the painting. I really want to share this, and I have seen other people put a copyright symbol in the corner of the picture, but I don't know how. Even if it doesn't LEGALLY protect the poem, it still might discourage others from stealing it (I hope).

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Don't bother. If it's text, then someone can simply type it out anywhere else they want.

You would have to do it before uploading by using a program like GIMP. You could also put your name or web site on the picture. I usually do this on web site photos and put the web site URL diagonally from lower left corner to upper right. ~ http://www.gimp.org

Hi: You should check the link below to have the complete "picture" of what you can and cannot do. Be aware of the fact that people might think that the photo is what you are trying to protect and not the poem itself. In any case... What software can you use? There are many ways of putting the copyright sign there. If you are not familiar with Photo manipulation softwares, I do have a solution for you. Since you are planning on taking a photo of your poem, simply add "(C) your name" at the end of the poem (in a different font/color if desired) and print it. Then take the photo and the copyright will be there already. Good luck!