Adobe Reader Extensions / Usage Rights

Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions (also known as Adobe Reader Extensions or Reader Extensions or Usage Rights) enables PDF forms designers, using either Adobe LiveCycle or Adobe Acrobat, to unlock hidden features in Adobe Reader such as the ability to save PDF forms or digitally sign PDFs. The ability to extend Adobe Reader this way is only possible using Adobe’s products.

Unfortunately, it is not possible for products like Foxit Quick PDF Library, or any other non-Adobe owned product, to either create PDFs with extended usage rights or modify the extended usage rights on existing PDFs that were created with Adobe LiveCycle or Adobe Acrobat. The EULA for Adobe Reader forbids enabling features found in Adobe Acrobat except via files enabled via licensed Adobe Reader Extensions.

In addition, if you modify a PDF — in any way, shape or form, with any none-Adobe product — that has had extended usage rights applied to it, it will invalidate the extended usage rights, resulting in an error message similar to the one listed below popping up when you open the document.

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 The document had been changed since it was created and these rights are no longer valid.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.

To find out if your document has had extended usage rights applied to it open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader and use the Ctrl+D shortcut to open Document Properties window and then click on the Security tab and look for the below error message to be listed 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.

To create a copy of the document without any extended usage rights, do as the message recommends and choose File > Save a Copy. After you’ve done this, you should be able to work with the document using products other than Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat without experiencing any issues.

This article refers to a deprecated product. If you are looking for support for Foxit PDF SDK, please click here.