Framing in a.k.a. Branding outside Web Resources

Dear Friends:

Our IT department is doing a remake of our website and is pushing to "frame in" outside resources. What they propose to do is this:

When a person visits one of our web pages and selects a link pointing to an online resource, (subscription database, encyclopedia, open edoc, someone's website, etc.) our server will create a web page with our masthead and menus, request the page from the outside source, and put the outside resource on it. The effect is that our logo and banners appear to be a part of the outside resource.

My sources (maybe this list is one, but my memory is fuzzy) seem to suggest that this is frowned upon and that a number of such resources have
considered suing such sites for copyright infringement. I'm arguing that we should not frame in, therefore, because it creates ill will and may be
illegal (not something a seminary likes to do...)

The tech is arguing that the return path is important because we might loose
our users if this is not done and that pop up windows are annoying. He argues that if sites do not explicitly say we shouldn't do it, that we don't have
to. (which is ironic, since our site has anti-framing code on it)

Does anyone have any concrete evidence that I am correct as I try to convince the head-tech?

Bob

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Electronic Resources Librarian
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
"Translatio traditio est."

• attr. St. Jerome
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