- Chapter 1: Introduction
- 2 Introduction to PDF 1.4 Features
- 3 Related Publications
- 4 Intellectual Property
1.4 Intellectual Property
The general idea of using an interchange format for electronic documents is in the public domain. Anyone is free to devise a set of unique data structures and operators that define an interchange format for electronic documents. However, Adobe Systems Incorporated owns the copyright for the particular data structures and operators and the written specification constituting the interchange format called the Portable Document Format. Thus, these elements of the Portable Document Format may not be copied without Adobe's permission.
Adobe will enforce its copyright. Adobe's intention is to maintain the integrity of the Portable Document Format standard. This enables the public to distinguish between the Portable Document Format and other interchange formats for electronic documents. However, Adobe desires to promote the use of the Portable Document Format for information interchange among diverse products and applications. Accordingly, Adobe gives anyone copyright permission, subject to the conditions stated below, to:
Prepare files whose content conforms to the Portable Document Format
Write drivers and applications that produce output represented in the Portable Document Format
Write software that accepts input in the form of the Portable Document Format and displays, prints, or otherwise interprets the contents
Copy Adobe's copyrighted list of data structures and operators, as well as the example code and PostScript language function definitions in the written specification, to the extent necessary to use the Portable Document Format for the purposes above
The conditions of such copyright permission are:
Software that accepts input in the form of the Portable Document Format must respect the access permissions specified in that document. Accessing the docu ment in ways not permitted by the document's access permissions is a violation of the document author's copyright.
Anyone who uses the copyrighted list of data structures and operators, as stated above, must include an appropriate copyright notice.
This limited right to use the copyrighted list of data structures and operators does not include the right to copy this book, other copyrighted material from Adobe, or the software in any of Adobe's products that use the Portable Document Format, in whole or in part, nor does it include the right to use any Adobe patents, except as may be permitted by an official Adobe Patent Clarification Notice (see the Bibliography).
Acrobat, Acrobat Capture, Acrobat Reader, ePaper, the "Get Acrobat Reader" Web logo, the "Adobe PDF" Web logo, and all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used by Adobe (the "Marks") are the registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and other countries. Nothing in this book is intended to grant you any right or license to use the Marks for any purpose.