Viewable and fillable in lower versions of Adobe Reader?

Hi lucia_amory,

If you create the form in Acrobat 9 and apply usage rights to it, end users will be able to view, fill it out and save it using Reader version 8 or above ( if I remember correctly, even Reader version 7 works too, but you'd have to test it out to be sure). When you Enable Rights in Acrobat 9 Pro, the rights travel with the document ( they are baked into it). So, when it is opened in the free Adobe Reader those rights are already there- the end user does not need to do anything special to use the rights you applied.

Hope this helps,

Dimitri
WindJack Solutions
www.windjack.com
www.pdfscripting.com

The only caveat to Dimitri's answer is that the PDF itself must be in a legacy version - if you include features specific to Acrobat 9 (Portfolios, Flash, etc.) or save it using "compatible with Acrobat 9" then earlier versions will of course complain.

Also, the "Enable Rights in Reader" feature of Acrobat is only there as an "evaluation" tool - under the EULA you are restricted to a total of 500 usages (a usage being someone opening the document, not you making it in the first place). More than that requires you deploy via LiveCycle RE.

This is incorrect. The Acrobat License Agreement does not mention "usages" and does not restrict opening enabled documents.

With respect to a document that has had usage rights applied by Acrobat, the Acrobat License Agreement does restrict the licensee from extracting information from more than 500 returned forms (including hardcopies) if the extended document was deployed to more than 500 recipients.

George

...which is in effect the same concept. A form is "used" to transfer filled-in data. It's raison d'être is to be filled in; otherwise it is not a form, but merely a pretty pattern of boxes; and the EULA limits you to collecting 500 returned datasets (or at least tries to). Of course the act of opening the file or making a copy of it can't be limited, as a shrinkwrap EULA on Acrobat cannot bind recipients of the files - the wording of 15.12.3 creates a usage limit on the form by restricting collection of the returned data because that's the only (semi) legal way to achieve it. It's a semantic issue over "use" vs. "receive" but there's no practical difference to the person sending out the forms.

I am coming across the same question. Here is my scenario and hope you can reply with your thoughts.

I have a form I developed. We will have it on our internet site for our customer base of 169 to download.

This form will be used multiple times by each of our customers (total usage will be over 500), but the user base is 169.

Therefore, this is ok. Am i correct?

thank you

Hi johnmolina,

As I understand it from actual conversations with Adobe employess explaning this area of the EULA, you are correct. If a defined group of under 500 people ( in your case 169) use one fillable form they may fill and use the form over and over without violating the EULA in terms of that 500 limit. The specific case in one conversation I had was a group of sales people ( under 500) who fill out a quote form for different customers and do it very often. Where you run into violating the 500 limit is when you distribute a fillable form to the general public on your web site and it gets used by an undefined group of people more than 500 times.

Too bad this is so darn confusing for so many people- this question must surely rate as a top ten most FAQ about Acrobat.
NOW, having said the above I must qualify that I am not an Adobe employee nor a lawyer. The absolute most reliable advise would be from Adobe's legal department.

Hope this helps,

Dimitri
WindJack Solutions
www.windjack.com
www.pdfscripting.com

Hi Folks,

I am planning to design pdf Forms within company. All our users are at the moment Adobe Reader 7.0. My problem is that the Form I have designed using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro (enable user rights) can be filled and saved by Adobe Reader 7.0 users. But if they retrieve the saved completed form and want to add more information to it, it wouldn't allow them.

Could someone advise me if it can be possible for Adobe Reader 7.0 to fill and save the form. And then retrieve it add more information to it?

thanks
Neeraj