getting my photos "officially" copyrighted

[bluewaterjon]

I am getting my images "officially" copyrighted. I have already started sending in images and gotten some emails indicating the files are pending, but before I submit more, I have several questions.
1. Do I need to send a high res version of the image? I had heard from another photog who registers many of his images that the versions of the images I send do not to be very large samples. Would that mean 800 pixels wide at 72dpi will suffice, or less, or more? Someone who is helping me with this, thinks (perhaps rightfully so) that we need to submit a very high res file that will help prove ownership. Since I shoot in RAW I am obviously doing a lot of down-rezzing.
2. I use photoshop CS3. When I am entering metadata, I go into the "File Info" tab and typically enter data in maybe 8 of the 13 pages that accept data. I do this with an action so that I don't have to fill it all out each time, but some of it needs to be catered to the individual image.
These include:
1. Description
2. Camera Data 1
3. Camera Data 2
4. IPTC image
5. IPTC contact
6. IPTC content
7. IPTC status
8. Origin
My question is, is filling all of these fields in necessary? I also wonder, if the people in the copyright office, or at a court of law that might be reviewing a case, what program do they use to access metadata? Suppose they are reviewing the file with a different program that doesn't have all these subpages/fields that Photoshop CS3 has?
Thanks very much in advance for your help,
Jon Schwartz
Jon Schwartz: Fishing and travel articles, photography, and big fish photos

 

[KmH]

It's all right here in the eCO offices FAQ's;

U.S. Copyright Office - eCO Frequently Asked Questions

 

[KmH]

Would that mean 800 pixels wide at 72dpi

Unless an image is going to be printed, the ppi (it's not dpi) of any digital image is meaningless.

Only the pixel dimensions and the quality level a photo is saved at determine the file size you would be uploading.

File size will vary by image content.