How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy content from
the document. I am willing to circulate the document outside office network
and hence permissions read only option will not be useful.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 01:23:07 -0800, "Upen"
wrote:

How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy content from
the document. I am willing to circulate the document outside office network
and hence permissions read only option will not be useful.

Word is not capable of doing that. In a sense, no document --
electronic or paper -- is completely immune.

Converting the Word document to PDF is a partial answer, but even that
can be converted back to editable form and copied or modified.

In the most extreme case, if the document can be seen on the screen at
all, a screen shot can be taken and run through an OCR program to make
an editable copy -- so the only complete answer is never to let anyone
else see your document.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org

Use ToolsProtect Document & select the option for Form. Apply a password so
the recipient can't turn Protection off.

HTH |:)

"Upen" wrote:

How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy content from
the document. I am willing to circulate the document outside office network
and hence permissions read only option will not be useful.

That won't help
The document can simply be copied into another blank document and the
protection is removed. Ultimately if the document can be seen it can be
copied.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




CyberTaz wrote:
Use ToolsProtect Document & select the option for Form. Apply a
password so the recipient can't turn Protection off.

HTH |:)

"Upen" wrote:

How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy
content from the document. I am willing to circulate the document
outside office network and hence permissions read only option will
not be useful.

OTOH, this will prevent 95% of users from being able to make a copy.
Unfortunately, those users are probably the same ones who would not copy it
anyway, if asked not to do so. Anyone determined to make a copy can do it,
if only by retyping it.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Graham Mayor" wrote in message
...
That won't help
The document can simply be copied into another blank document and the
protection is removed. Ultimately if the document can be seen it can be
copied.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




CyberTaz wrote:
Use ToolsProtect Document & select the option for Form. Apply a
password so the recipient can't turn Protection off.

HTH |:)

"Upen" wrote:

How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy
content from the document. I am willing to circulate the document
outside office network and hence permissions read only option will
not be useful.

Excellent points from each of you... my hope was simply that the recipients
were not bent on modifying the doc. For that matter, digital signatures,
pdfs, etc. can be gotten around if someone is determined to do so.

|:(

"Charles Kenyon" wrote:

OTOH, this will prevent 95% of users from being able to make a copy.
Unfortunately, those users are probably the same ones who would not copy it
anyway, if asked not to do so. Anyone determined to make a copy can do it,
if only by retyping it.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

"Graham Mayor" wrote in message
...
That won't help
The document can simply be copied into another blank document and the
protection is removed. Ultimately if the document can be seen it can be
copied.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




CyberTaz wrote:
Use ToolsProtect Document & select the option for Form. Apply a
password so the recipient can't turn Protection off.

HTH |:)

"Upen" wrote:

How can I protect my document in a way that users can not copy
content from the document. I am willing to circulate the document
outside office network and hence permissions read only option will
not be useful.