This article will go over PDF copy protection and the various available options. Before we get deep into the specifics Here are a few important points to consider:
- Copy protection cannot be secured. The PDF owner can grant encryption to the file and the user is then able to use it however they want with the encryption. Print or share it, download the screen, and others. It is believed that a document cannot be accessed until a password is entered.
- Copy protection doesn’t require a password. Anyone can access the file. The PDF cannot be copied, printed, or shared. It cannot be screen-captured, shared, or printed. The principle behind copy protection is PDF is accessible to anyone, but nothing can be done with the document. This is what people most frequently look for when they need Copy protection for PDF documents.
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a free and open standard. What that means is that the document format was designed to work with just about any document reader program. The PDF specification aimed to create a format that was as universal as possible. This is why it’s more complicated than one might imagine protecting copies of the PDF file.
Adobe Reader is pre-installed in Windows. Windows also comes with Adobe API code embedded to let you open PDF documents. Even if Adobe Reader was not installed on your PC or removed, however, the core code remains to enable a PDF. In addition to Adobe Reader (#1 PDF reader in the market), there are numerous additional PDF reader programs. These readers are all specifically designed to read and open portable documents.
Adobe copy protection products are popularly known for being compromised. You can use Google for Adobe copy protection crack and discover the many ways Adobe security features are vulnerable. Here and here are two instances of Google results that include websites dedicated to hacking.
Insufficient controls for viewing PDFs are the main problem in copy protection. A PDF content owner (you) does not have control over Adobe Reader or other tools to prevent the user (your client/customer/student) from printing, screen capturing, sharing, and storing.
The idea behind a copy protection solution is a framework where the PDF can be opened and examined, and you (the content owner) maintain control of the document.
Of course, Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader, and others will not offer the tools that prevent users from printing or saving from within their programs. In contrast, we need a “reader” or “viewer” with controls to prevent these functions.
In this regard, it’s difficult to offer a reader these security functions. Most users who receive PDF files do not wish to download or install another application just to open a PDF file. This process eliminates the elegance and simplicity of PDF documents. PDF is no longer a document that can be stored in a portable format. Hackers can also download a program to view the PDF to decode it. To manage the PDF, you need more than just a viewer or reader.
How To Copy Protect PDF Files? The most secure way to copy-protect a PDF file is to connect it with a physical. While there are solutions for software that can copy-protect PDF documents, they aren’t as secure as solutions using physical objects.
Nexcopy’s Copy Secure solution is a USB flash device that can provide copy protection to PDF files. It doesn’t need you to install any program to view it. It is not a copy-protected file, but a copy-protected device. This is true since the physical device acts as the physical key to control the view of the document.
The secure PDF reader installed on the Copy Secure drive is coded and secured to the device itself. Even if the app is directly downloaded from the drive, there is no requirement for installation. Hackers won’t be able to gain access to the PDF or control it.
Copy Secure drives work on both Mac and Windows computers. It is easy to browse PDF files using the viewer software that automatically launches from the USB. The PDF is an accessible document format.
The viewer is not able to permit printing. It does not allow for any type of saving, screen capture, or sharing. This solution lets the PDF will follow the USB drive and may be accessed via any computer.
There is no need to install a secure viewer on every computer that the PDF will be used on, simply insert the Copy Secure USB drive and open the file. Everything runs directly from the drive.
Additional digital rights management options can be utilized to manage the PDF. The Copy Secure solution has a time expiration feature for the PDF. This restricts the client/customer/student from accessing the PDF after a specific date. Copy Secure Copy Secure solution allows you to establish a password to keep anyone from accessing sensitive PDF information. This means, there are now two layers of protection the content owner has: First, the client/customer/student must enter the correct password before the PDF is displayed. The PDF file is copy-protected after it is shown. This means that even the most trusted user can’t save or print it.
While doing research for this article about copy protection for PDF files We found several other products that merit noting.
Adobe offers solutions, however, after doing a quick Google lookup, we discovered there are too numerous hacks to think of this as a viable solution.
PDF2GO is an excellent online solution but the cost was too expensive for large or moderate quantities. This option could be ideal for a specific need.
LockLizard This option also is expensive for large and medium-sized business models.
The conclusion: We are very interested in the idea of physical devices that are linked to PDF security. The Nexcopy solution works best when the PDF content owner has a business model which directly links the revenue stream to intellectual property. The Nexcopy website has videos that explain how Nexcopy technology works for the owners of PDF files to secure their content. In addition, the videos show end-users how to access a secured PDF file. Adobe is a major business and its security system has been compromised over the years. Other software-only solutions such as PDF2GO and LockLizard are better suited to only one-time or very minor needs however they are pricey.
