Is this even possible? Maybe it is just my ignorance of copyright law here, but I was under the impression that in the US copyright is granted automatically upo

Is this even possible? Maybe it is just my ignorance of copyright law here, but I was under the impression that in the US copyright is granted automatically upon the creation of a original work. Copyright is not something you apply for. If that is the case, I can't see how one could attempt to re-copyright a work. Or am I missing something?