diff --git a/pelican/generators.py b/pelican/generators.py
index 43127099..f748766a 100644
--- a/pelican/generators.py
+++ b/pelican/generators.py
@@ -563,21 +563,24 @@ class StaticGenerator(Generator):
             for f in self.get_files(
                     os.path.join(self.path, static_path), extensions=False):
                 f_rel = os.path.relpath(f, self.path)
+                content, metadata = read_file(
+                    f, fmt='static', settings=self.settings)
                 # TODO remove this hardcoded 'static' subdirectory
-                dest = os.path.join('static', f_rel)
-                url = pelican.utils.path_to_url(dest)
+                metadata['save_as'] = os.path.join('static', f_rel)
+                metadata['url'] = pelican.utils.path_to_url(metadata['save_as'])
                 sc = Static(
                     content=None,
-                    metadata={
-                        'save_as': dest,
-                        'url': url,
-                        },
+                    metadata=metadata,
                     settings=self.settings,
                     source_path=f_rel)
                 self.staticfiles.append(sc)
                 self.add_source_path(sc)
         # same thing for FILES_TO_COPY
         for src, dest in self.settings['FILES_TO_COPY']:
+            content, metadata = read_file(
+                src, fmt='static', settings=self.settings)
+            metadata['save_as'] = dest
+            metadata['url'] = pelican.utils.path_to_url(metadata['save_as'])
             sc = Static(
                 content=None,
                 metadata={'save_as': dest},
diff --git a/pelican/readers.py b/pelican/readers.py
index 3fd3650b..a6ff9118 100644
--- a/pelican/readers.py
+++ b/pelican/readers.py
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ METADATA_PROCESSORS = {
 
 class Reader(object):
     enabled = True
+    file_extensions = ['static']
     extensions = None
 
     def __init__(self, settings):
@@ -54,6 +55,12 @@ class Reader(object):
             return METADATA_PROCESSORS[name](value, self.settings)
         return value
 
+    def read(self, source_path):
+        "No-op parser"
+        content = None
+        metadata = {}
+        return content, metadata
+
 
 class _FieldBodyTranslator(HTMLTranslator):
 
@@ -311,7 +318,7 @@ class AsciiDocReader(Reader):
 
 EXTENSIONS = {}
 
-for cls in Reader.__subclasses__():
+for cls in [Reader] + Reader.__subclasses__():
     for ext in cls.file_extensions:
         EXTENSIONS[ext] = cls
 
@@ -340,7 +347,7 @@ def read_file(path, fmt=None, settings=None):
     metadata.update(reader_metadata)
 
     # eventually filter the content with typogrify if asked so
-    if settings and settings.get('TYPOGRIFY'):
+    if content and settings and settings.get('TYPOGRIFY'):
         from typogrify.filters import typogrify
         content = typogrify(content)
         metadata['title'] = typogrify(metadata['title'])