1

When I try to open a PDF that I just received in Foxit Reader I receive this error message:

This document contained certain rights to enable special features in Adobe Reader. The document had been changed since it was created and these rights are no longer valid. Please contact the author for the original version of this document.

If I view 'Document Properties > Security' then I see another message at the bottom of the window:

This is document restricts some Acrobat features to allow for extended features in Adobe Reader. To create a copy of the document that is not restricted (and has no extended features in Adobe Reader), choose File > Save a Copy.

This doesn't make sense. Why can't I open this PDF in Foxit Reader? Shouldn't I be able to open a PDF in a PDF reader that is not made by Adobe?

flag

2 Answers

2

Actually, it makes perfect sense. It's about money for Adobe.

These extended rights, which gives the end user the ability to do things such as fill-in and save forms, digital signatures, etc., is a proprietary format owned and controlled by Adobe. Fox-It or any other PDF reader, other than an Adobe reader, cannot use these extended rights. If a PDF document with extended rights is modified it results in the message you received.

Whomever produced the document had to have created the document in Acrobat 8 or 9 purposefully applying the extended rights. Once the rights are removed then the document can be displayed in pretty much any PDF Reader. However, also gone will be the rights (form saving, etc.) assigned in the original.

Extended rights is not directly a part of the PDF format.

link|flag
Thanks for the info. So can other companies, such as Foxit, add their own proprietary extensions to a PDF document as well? – PDF Seeder Dec 15 at 23:33
I suppose they could but it wouldn't make a lot of sense if it affected the ability to display a PDF file in Adobe Reader. Many of these extended rights really apply to Adobe Reader, not the PDF format. For example, Fox-It all ready gives you the ability to fill out and save PDF Forms. Adobe Reader does not unless you have extended rights. This is a function of the PDF Reader (more or less) and not the PDF format. – unknown (google) Dec 16 at 0:28
1

B"H Working with Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. Open an existing pdf, not sure in which version it was generated. Want to use multimedia tool (3D tool). Pops this message: "This document restricts some Acrobat features to allow for extended features in Adobe Reader. To create a copy of the document that is not restricted (and has no extended features in Adobe Reader), click Save a Copy." Clicked Save a Copy, save it somewhere, and now the multimedia tools are grey-inactive. Can these pdf files be made to agree to work with multimedia tools?

link|flag

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.