how do people copy-protect their PDFs?

[Gillian Flato]

Carol,

 I googled "DRM Management PDF" and found this: http://www.locklizard.com/pdf_security.htm?gclid=CJmi3pXFgrcCFYN7QgodIxIAmg

http://www.drumlinsecurity.com/

-Gillian

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Carol J. Elkins
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 3:26 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: how do people copy-protect their PDFs?

Hi Alison,

So far, the only response has been from someone who uses LiveCycle Designer for forms but has no experience with it for ecommerce. Like you, I use Acrobat security for PDFs to prevent changing the docs or copying the content to clipboard, but it cannot prevent copying the entire file. For instance, Company Z has in the past purchased 200 PDF versions of a book of regulatory standards. My client wants to prevent Company Z from simply making copies of the PDF instead of buying all 200 copies. Multiply that by thousands of ecommerce customers to understand the potential revenue that can be lost.

My client also wants to begin selling individual standards in addition to books of standards, much like IEEE does with its Xplore Digital Library Subscription Service (http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/subscriptions/ieee_standards_online_subscription_information.pdf). 
I have no clue where to begin to research how to accomplish the DRM for this, but I know it is not something in a Technical Writer's general tool kit. Several years ago I read about dongles, encryption, and password management systems, but from a user's perspective they are a burden. I want to find a resource/service that makes it easy to purchase and download a PDF and hard/impossible to copy the PDF. 
Minimally, I'd like to be able to tell my client how other companies do this; if it is impossible to protect the PDF, then at least he'll know he's in good company.

If anyone knows of other solutions to accomplish this, I'd appreciate your insight. I'm treading way outside my skillset here but would like to be able to give my client some basic direction. I wanted to ask fellow Framers first; then I'll move on to the LiveCycle forum or whatever direction you folks point me in.

Carol

At 03:21 PM 5/6/2013, Alison Craig wrote:
>I think that's an excellent question. Could you post answers on-list or 
>forward copies to me?
>
>Right now I just use standard Adobe Acrobat security for my Frame 
>generated PDFs (I need printable and digital manuals for the Medical 
>Device industry). But we all know how easy that is to crack.

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