OSDev.org

How do you copy right your source? Like.. i want my code to be open source, so i dont want anyone stealing it.. (plus it looks cool on the logo to have copyright) So how do you go about this? Do you just write copyright?

Get a copy of the public license you want to apply, it generally includes the "license header" you should add in every file you want to protect.

I personnally feel boring to copy/paste the license in every file, so i just mention my project is GPL (thus any material i release for the project is GPL) and provide a short "initial release @ <date> by <author>" in the source files to remember people where it originally come from (and thus who owns the intellectual property), assuming people are fair enough not to "steal" it (i.e. shamelessly claiming someone else's work is their own). Writing down the whole license copyright in every file is unlikely to prevent people stupid enough to "steal" open-source material from doing it, anyway ...

I won't bother about claiming copyright. For I work with other sources to learn from how to build a wheel, what sense would it then make to have a copyright. Anything else than bragging doesn't come into my mind. The more, I come hither asking questions receiving wisdom from others which I canna claim as my own.

stay safe pals

I am using the GNU General Public License (GPL), and have a LICENSE file in my package. This LICENSE file contains the *whole* GPL license. The source files just contain a "Copyright (C) <year> <name>".