How to Prevent eBook PDF Piracy and Unauthorized Sharing
There is always a piracy concern attached to the sharing of PDF files of eBooks. What if my eBook PDF gets pirated? How can I ensure the authenticity of my eBook? What if someone copies or edits my eBook? How can I ensure authorized viewing of my eBook? It's very common to have such questions in your mind whenever you create a PDF version of your eBook.
While there are multiple options to prevent eBook piracy like watermarking, password protection, digital rights management, setting up Google alerts and so on, these ways of preventing eBook piracy can be time taking and may even involve third-party protection. This comes off as an inefficient way of protecting your eBook when you can simply create UPDF files with PDF Unshare and ensure 100% protection of your eBook from illegal sharing and piracy.
What is PDF Unshare
PDF Unshare is a free tool to protect your PDF files from sharing, editing, copying and unauthorized opening of the PDF document. While most of these features are available automatically on this encryption and protection tool, the users can alter the features depending upon their needs and requirements. Each one of the encrypted PDF and UPDF files can be accessed only on a single device.
PDF Unshare doesn't use passwords for PDF and UPDF file protection as passwords can be easily shared between individuals and groups and hence do not ensure complete security. It uses special keys which are shared over web servers only to the authorized devices. The protected files can be opened only on the UPDF reader program which is available for free on all three prominent operating systems like Windows, Android, and iOS.
Unique Features of PDF Unshare
PDF Unshare has several other features besides encrypting the PDF using a special key and needing a specific program to view the protected file.
Programmatic Encryption: PDF Unshare protects files with the help of the policy specified by RMS. This means it protects the data by implementing the data protection policy given by Rights Management Services. In addition to this, the users can protect and unprotect the PDF files according to their needs by making use of PDF Unshare.
Security Watermarks: The PDF Unshare tool allows the users to add watermarks of their chosen text and color to prevent unauthorized copying of PDF by means of photo or video-capturing using mobile phones or similar devices.
Activity Log files: It creates activity log files that keep track of the files that were protected and unprotected including the time and date when they were protected and unprotected.
Limited User Access: It ensures protection against unauthorized PDF access by allowing each of the protected files to be viewed only on a single mobile phone or computer.
Document Expiration: PDF Unshare allows the users to set an expiration date and time of the PDF document so that it can be viewed only up to that time. After that, the PDF files will expire and would no longer be available for viewing.
Multilingual User Interface: The tool is available in a wide range of languages to extend protection over a large part of the world. The languages in which PDF Unshare is available in 15+ languages including Japanese, English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Arabic, and Turkish.
Prevent Screenshots: In order to protect the privacy of eBooks, PDF Unshare doesn't allow viewers to take screenshots or record the screen while reading.
Difference between UPDF and PDF files
Since there are two types of file extensions offered by PDF Unshare in the form of .PDF and .UPDF, it is important to know the difference between the two file types. UPDF is a special document format created exclusively by PDF Unshare. This file type requires the UPDF Reader program to open the UPDF files. It cannot be opened on standard PDF reader programs.
On the other hand, PDF file type is offered by PDF Unshare to make the protected file compatible with standard PDF readers like Acrobat and Foxit PDF. In this type of file, the UPDF link is available in the content and directs the users to open the file with UPDF Reader.
How to prevent eBook PDF piracy and unauthorized sharing with PDF Unshare?
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to prevent eBook PDF piracy using PDF Unshare.
1. Download PDF Unshare on your computer and open the eBook PDF in PDF Unshare. You can simply drag and drop the eBook PDF from the location on your computer to the PDF Unshare window.
2. Check the option to restrict the file to be opened only on one device. This option is located in the top right corner of the window.
3. Set your watermark if necessary. In the Watermark tab, select the text and color of the watermark for the unshared PDF file of the eBook to prevent copying of the text using another mobile phone's camera.
4. Find the "Expiration Date" option and click on it to set the date for the expiration of the eBook PDF document. The advantage of setting the expiration date is that the viewers cannot change this date and time at their end and the eBook PDF will expire whenever the current date bypasses the expiration date that is set.
5. Then click on the "Create UPDF (.UPDF)" or "Create Unshared PDF (.PDF)" option to protect and save the file in the desired format.
6. Review the created file in the UPDF Reader program and send it to the person with whom you would like to share it. Once the viewer opens the eBook PDF on his device, the document cannot be opened or viewed on any other device. The device that created the UPDF file doesn't get included in the list of restricted devices. If the file is copied or transferred on other devices, then there will be an error message saying that the opening of the file is not allowed on that device.
The PDF Unshare security tool is an effective way of protecting eBooks and other PDF files that contain confidential data. It provides the most secure solution of adding copyright security to all kinds of users, professionals or general users.
