Publishing and distributing protected PDF for secure sharing requires more than copy protection of the PDF contents because sharing and unauthorized distribution requires DRM to ensure that others without your permission cannot open the document. Regardless of whether reading via desktop software or site protection software sharing can only be prevented by controlling user access to view the PDF document. For secure sharing of desktop documents there needs to be a user register to refer to for each user's privileges and that is best online so that each time the PDF reader opens a DRM protected document that the user's identity can be checked and access approved accordingly. Some lame DRM solutions use the MAC address of the user's internet connection to identify each user, but can be counterproductive because each different Internet connection that the user can make such LAN, WiFi, Bluetooth, FireWire, etc will report a different MAC address.


In contrast, the most secure copyprotect PDF software, like the CopySafe PDF Protection solution, uses hard drive serial number as one of the coefficients for the algorithm that is used for a unique Computer ID that cannot be exploited or confused with other users. The first time that any user opens a CopySafe DRM protected PDF their Computer ID is registered against their account, and depending on its author's settings for that document or user, that Computer ID cannot be changed without the Author's approval and/or assistance. Authors can elect to enable the use of 1-3 computers per user account if needed.
Consequently sharing is secured and it doesn't matter if a user sends a copy of the PDF to 1,000 friends because none will be able to open it unless they too have the Author's permissions, ie: if that user is also in the Author's list of approved subscribers.
However the management of secure sharing for online viewing from web pages is a little different because regardless of which site protection software is used, the user access control will usually be based on site membership and login via password. Because passwords can be shared, the author will have much less control over who can eventually get to read the protected PDF document. But more can be done to prevent online sharing because although the CopySafe PDF Protection does not employ DRM for web page display the CMS or member login system on your website can easily be modified to use the same Computer ID criteria as described above. 
The ArtisBrowser, the secure web browser designed for use with the ArtistScope Site Protection System (ASPS), is also used to view CopySafe Protected PDF when displayed from a web page. The ArtisBrowser uses the same unique Computer ID and includes that ID in each page request so that all you need to employ DRM on your web pages is to record that ID for each user and then use it to validate their protected page requests.
For more info on how to best copy protect PDF and employ DRM on your web site, please visit artistscope.com


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