> It's rather incongruous that you register intellectual property for very little

It's even more incongruous that you'd have to "register" for your rights. Intellectual property are recognized as an inherent right that doesn't require any registration at all, under the 1886 Berne Convention.

Although the US was not a signatory until 1989.

In the US, you do not need to register your copyright. It is entirely optional, and you can still enforce an unregistered copyright.