Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Illinois

Your common law copyright rights vested when you created your poem and put it into tangible form/writing. However, you should be careful that the local newsletter's submission rules/guidelines don't call for an assignment of your rights by virtue of submitting your poem to the publication. You should also consider registering your poem with the U.S. Copyright Office (www.Copyright.gov)- which can be done on your own or through an attorney.