does a site need to be copyrighted before it launches

All Answers To Questions

No, not at all

Under US law, everything you create, from that picture you scribbled on a napkin while drunk at the bar to that video you spent three years filming, is copyrighted unless otherwise stated. For info on how to remove this copyright, see the following links. Otherwise, you don't have to take any action. Though some people seem to like to remind us about their copyrights at the bottom of the page. http://creativecommons.org/ http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html

If you apply to the US government and pay their fees, they will back up your copyrights, except for a bunch of exceptions, one being if somebody wrote it before you. The important part, to them, is paying them.