Second, it puts any infringer on actual notice. This is critical when trying to prove willfulness at trial. Finally, in certain countries the notice statement is still required, and copyright protection may be lost in those countries if not placed. Once registered the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. For a work for hire the length of time is 95 years.
Most works enter the public domain because their copyrights have expired.
While registration of the copyright is easy, there are some pitfalls. Under current law, the worker who was commissioned to do the work retains the copyright under a work for hire. An assignment is when the copyright owner transfers all of their rights unconditionally. The last myth that needs to be corrected concerns fair use. Under the current state of law anyone may use your work an not infringe so long as accused work is not substantially similar to the original work.