Statusicons

Originally Posted by RedTyger

Everything is automatically copyrighted by the author. Unless they specifically allow people to use their creations, it's not permissible or legal.

That's not entirely true. If someone steals the icons from my forum, I can't exactly go to court and say "I made those, they're mine", unless I actually go through the copyright process (which, for some forum icons, is a bit silly imo). The law is a bit dodgy on it:

Who can claim copyright?
Once someone creates an original work in fixed form, the copyright immediately becomes the property of the author who created it. Only the author can rightfully claim copyright.

However, in the case of works for hire, the employer, not the employee, is considered to be the author.

How do I secure a copyright?
Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created and fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. Once an author has created material in a fixed form, she or he holds the copyright. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright.

However, registering the copyright helps to establish a record that you are the author, and helps to establish the date when you claim to have recreated the material.

But having the wording and actually proving it are two different things.