I have finished making my first commercial game and I intend to release it. But the thing that is bothering me now is registering for a copyright. Should I file it before releasing the game or afterwards?

You don't need to register a copyright. If you want to do that, do it whenever you want. You can't register your trademark until after your game has been on the market.

@Tom Sloper But do I put the TM and C logos after I register for it or before that?

You don't need to register a copyright. It's already your copyright. Mark everything with © right now. There's no reason not to.

Trademark only applies to your title (the game's name) at this point. You can use ™ but not ®.

I am not a lawyer, so don't rely on my words as legal advice.

@Tom Sloper So you mean to say that I can put the C even without registering for the copyright? Same for TM?

Won't I be taken to Jail if I do it without any additional proof?

CaptainVG said:
So you mean to say that I can put the C even without registering for the copyright?

Yes. The game IS your copyright. YOU own the copyright on anything you create on your own. Registration is optional.

® means “registered trademark.” ™ means “trademark.” You will not be taken to jail. Falsely claiming a registered trademark is not a criminal jailable offense. Please do some reading on the web about how trademarks and copyrights work.

Please stop calling me out by name. I am not the only person here. Others (including lawyers) may also have answers for you.