US Copyright Office contemplates going IE only for new site

The battle over web standards may be moving to Washington, DC. The US Copyright Office is currently looking for feedback on plans to restrict a new website to users of Internet Explorer. At issue is an upcoming site where people could preregister commercial works in progress (e.g., movies, books). That would allow novelists, for example, to sue if parts of their book were leaked prior to publication.

Right now, plans are for the site to support only Internet Explorer, starting with version 5.1:

At this point in the process of developing the Copyright Office's system for online preregistration, it is not entirely clear whether the system will be compatible with web browsers other than Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.1 and higher. Filers of preregistration applications will be able to employ these Internet Explorer browsers successfully. Support for Netscape 7.2, Firefox 1.0.3, and Mozilla 1.7.7 is planned but will not be available when preregistration goes into effect. Present users of these browsers may experience problems when filing claims.

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Currently, the Copyright Office uses Siebel 7.7 as its CRM software, which is not certified to work with browsers other than IE and Netscape 7.0.2. An update to version 7.8 is in the offing, which will add support for Firefox 1.0.3 (and Mozilla 1.7.7), but according to the Copyright Office, it will not be deployed in time for the launch.

Those who deal with corporate intranet sites coded for a single platform are familiar with having to use IE to get around. However, having a publicly accessed government website available only to users of a single browser is inexcusable. It doesn't matter whether it's Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Konqueror. Government services provided online need to be accessible via a multiplicity of browsers and operating systems.

While it's Siebel with its limited browser support that is at issue here, the fault does not ultimately lie with them. Blame the CIO of the Copyright Office for locking the agency into a substandard solution that will not provide equal access to the planned site.

The Copyright Office is accepting comments on the Proposed Rulemaking on preregistration of copyright claims through August 22, 2005. Unfortunately, it looks like snail mail only, but don't let that stop you. Send the original and five copies of your comments to Copyright GC/ I&R, P.O. Box 70400, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024-0400.