RE: [CNI-COPYRIGHT] Framing in a.k.a. Branding outside Web Resources

On Wednesday, April 02, 2003 2:29 PM, Smith, Robert [SMTP:smithre[_at_]mail.ctsfw.edu] wrote:
> 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."
>
>

On the legal side, I would not dream of trying to add to Prof. Ochoa's comprehensive reply.

 But this would certainly be considered very bad web-design practice, and by many people to be unethical. As well as the branding issues, it may raise questions of accessibility, for example.

You could try posting the same question on a relevant technical discussion list, such as one of the ones operated by the W3C - or suggesting that your technical person did so, but be prepared for a less-than-temperate response....

Edward Barrow
New Media Copyright Consultant
http://www.copyweb.co.uk/
***Important: see http://www.copyweb.co.uk/email.htm for information about the legal status of this email *** Received on Fri Apr 04 2003 - 09:42:35 GMT