how to prevent save and copy of MS Word documents

[susan.d]

I need to be able to load old MS Word 2.0 documents for viewing purposes, but
prevent the user from saving or doing a copy/paste. Does anyone have any
ideas on how that can be achieved?

 

[Karl E. Peterson]

I need to be able to load old MS Word 2.0 documents for viewing
purposes, but prevent the user from saving or doing a copy/paste.
Does anyone have any ideas on how that can be achieved?

Burn 'em to CD, before letting your users have access.

 

[susan.d]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that the documents are stored in a database,
accessed by a custom application and that application must allow the users to
view the documents without being able to edit, copy/paste or save the
document. I tried the newer MS Word Viewer, but it does not have a means to
disable copy/paste, and it allows 'open for edit' in MS Word if MS Word is on
the same system.

 

[Karl E. Peterson]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that the documents are stored in a
database, accessed by a custom application and that application must
allow the users to view the documents without being able to edit,
copy/paste or save the document. I tried the newer MS Word Viewer,
but it does not have a means to disable copy/paste, and it allows
'open for edit' in MS Word if MS Word is on the same system.

Okay, how about microfiche?

Seriously, you're using the *wrong* tool. I suppose, if you were to
install -- but not activate -- Word 2003 that you'd eventually achieve your
no-save objective.

I'd suggest a different format, such as PDF, but even that will soon be
rather universally editable. Have you considered scanning the docs, and
presenting them as bitmaps? I suppose those untrusted scoundrels could
still Alt-Prtscrn, paste into Paint, and print or OCR, though.

Makes one wonder, why *do* you give these monkeys computers?

 

[Cindy Meister]

<<I'd suggest a different format, such as PDF, but even that will soon be
rather universally editable. Have you considered scanning the docs, and
presenting them as bitmaps? I suppose those untrusted scoundrels could
still Alt-Prtscrn, paste into Paint, and print or OCR, though.

Makes one wonder, why *do* you give these monkeys computers?>>

Even then, we'd still having copying machines...

 

[Cindy Meister]

Hi Susan

Karl's basically on-target, here. Word was designed to edit, not view, text.
If you were talking Word 2003 instead of Word 2.0, then you'd stand a chance
with IRM (Rights management). But that's as close as you're going to get with
Word.

The other thing to look at would be saving them all in Word 2003 XML format,
then when calling from the database transform them into a file format for
software you consider "safe enough".

 

[Karl E. Peterson]

<<I'd suggest a different format, such as PDF, but even that will
soon be rather universally editable. Have you considered scanning
the docs, and presenting them as bitmaps? I suppose those untrusted
scoundrels could still Alt-Prtscrn, paste into Paint, and print or
OCR, though.

Makes one wonder, why *do* you give these monkeys computers?>>

Even then, we'd still having copying machines...

Yep, and we all know just how creative some monkeys can get!

 

[susan.d]

Thank you Cindy and Karl for your comments.
It looks like it is time to consider conversion to another format.

 

[Graham Mayor]

*ANY* document that you allow a user to see can be copied. It doesn't matter
what application you use. The only way to stop people from copying the
material the document contains is never to let them see it. It's a simple as
that and there's no use expending any more time and money on it. You can
deter the casual copier, but anyone who really wants that content will have
it.

It's the same with the music/video industries. Some companies have spent a
fortune trying to prevent copying. It doesn't and cannot work.

Take BMG Records (please!). They introduced a CD protection system that was
supposed to prevent copying. It simply screwed up the sound for the genuine
customers - and the pirates simply played it in real time and recorded the
analogue signal (though good ripping software dealt with most of it) which
for most users (especially when compressed to mp3 for iPod use) would be
indistinguishable from the flawed original - so no-one wins.

Then it introduced the possibility of virus vulnerability with a software
patch to enable the discs to be played on a PC. I hear that BMG was
eventually deterred by a class action by PC users - and not by the fact that
they were insulting their genuine customers by producing a shoddy product.
This copy protection has been removed for the moment, but it will
undoubtedly be back in another guise, passing the cost of that failure to
the customer. Grrrrr!.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>