U.S. Copyright Office wrote:I’ve heard about a “poor man’s copyright.” What is it?
The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.
(source)
Although you technically own the rights to anything that you create as soon as you create it, it is important to register your work if you really believe it will be stolen. Although a paper trail is helpful (hand-dated hard copies, for example, and other evidence of your ownership) the only way to ensure that you will be able to sue for infringement is to register with your country's copyright office before the infringement occurs. (Registering after might help a little, but not a whole lot.)
The exception is that the poor man's copyright may be of some help in Great Britian. However, it is still not an acceptable substitute for proper and official copyright registration. (source)
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