Forum Moderators: not2easy
I use the method where you send in a few printed pages that are representative of the site and then also a CD that contains a copy of the entire site. My question deals with the latter.
When I place a copy of my website on a CD you can't readily view the site in a browser because you can't navigate to all of the different site sections because I have used an html BASE tag which, like when a click on a link is made, attaches the site's complete URL information to the file name contained in the link. Even though you click on a link drawn from a html file contained on the CD, you will be referred to a page on my domain on the internet.
Even if you strip out all BASE tag references there is still the problem that a link in a html file located in one subdirectory (directly off the root) on a CD cannot make a connection with a file found in a different subdirectory (directly off the root).
In the past I've always gone to the HTML and created a CD version of my website but this is time consuming. I've stripped out base references, and anchors cross linking between same level subdirectories, and in one copyright filing I even stripped out all subdirectory usage (all files were just in the root) so someone trying to navigate the CD version of my website could, freely and without restriction.
So here's my question. What is important about the CD copy of the registration? Is it simply so they have a copy of every file and image on the website on the CD even though someone would not be able browse through the website but instead would have to open most html files individually. Or is the CD supposed to contain every file and image of the website and in a form which is readily displayable, like it is on the internet?
Actually IANAL but I see no need for you to have a functioning website for this purpose. As long as all of the content is on the CD it could be used as proof of copyright.
It seems that the copyright office pretty much forces you to use their online process (eCO). I was expecting the worst but it really functioned pretty much seamlessly. The fact that you can create a template to use with reregistrations in the future seems nice. I love the idea of having a documented copy of my website in their hands on the same day that new content is published.
