Selling and Protecting PDF Documents: Research, Legal, and Training Documents

Content comes in various forms and in different genres. And, technology has become a major factor in shaping the way we interpret documentation. We are no longer relying on hard copies (paper) and have moved on to soft copies (digital). But, with the convenience of having documents in the form of digital content, we are also saddled with the curse of theft, plagiarism, illegal copying, and unwarranted distribution of content online.

Your organization (and various other organizations, whether big or small) at some time or another put in a lot of hours, sweat and tears to create highly important PDFs. These documents could be research reports, legal documents or training material. Would it be fair if some unknown entity was to sweep away all of this zealous labor of love in a heartbeat and claim credit for it? Should you take content pertaining to your research reports, legal documentation or training material for granted so that some wrong-intentioned recipient can use it for his or her own personal gain?

Time and again, it has been affirmed that sensitive documents that are sold for financial gain need protection from unscrupulous parties who want to misuse it. Digital Rights Management (DRM) has played a crucial role in protecting documents no matter where they reside.

As the major problem of having documents on the internet is data theft, DRM ensures that the PDFs cannot be duplicated, copied or distributed without consent in any way.

The primary aspect of a DRM security tool is the encryption of PDF documents. This ensures that only the intended recipients can view them. DRM controls add another layer of protection so that the various channels of copying, such as taking a screenshot, using Ctrl C and Ctrl V to copy and paste sections, using the right-click button, as well as printing will be disabled. So, it will be so much harder to duplicate protected documents.

Watermarking, subscription timelines, and locking documents to devices, countries and IP addresses are just some of the other methods that are also employed by DRM to ensure the integrity and security of protected documents.

For example, training materials may be made available for a stipulated period of time. So, you can allow access to documents for the duration of a course by setting start and end dates in the DRM tool. Once the date has been surpassed, the documents will no longer be accessible for use.

All in all, you have to make sure that the integrity of your content sold online is secured. DRM-based tools and controls have been designed to provide the maximum security to the intellectual property of your materials available online. So, it is strongly recommended that you make a small investment in acquiring a DRM tool to protect your large investment as it will benefit you in the long run.

What is your opinion on the protection of PDF documents that you sell or intend to sell online? Feel free to share your views below.