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What am I actually trying to protect?
Different rights protect different things. This narrows down which conversation you should be having.
Copyright protects the expression, not the idea.
It arises automatically, and it stops copying of your particular code, text or drawing. It does not stop someone writing their own implementation of the same function.
- For technical functionality a competitor could re-implement, copyright is thin protection.
- Keep records of authorship and dates.
- If the function is the valuable part, a patent is the right conversation.
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This is educational guidance, not personalised legal advice. It cannot see your documents, your dates or the prior art, and those are usually what decide the answer. Use it to understand the question, then take advice on your own facts.
Not sure whether this applies to your invention?
The honest answer usually needs someone to look at your actual disclosure, your timeline and the prior art. That is a conversation, not an article.