Prevent Copy to Clipboard on MS Word

-=- Ajit C -=- · External Since: Aug 01, 2007 Posts: 2

Hi,

I know how to password protect a document from being modified or even the
Protect Document > Comments option. But i notice that no matter what once
you have the document open you can still select text and do a copy (either
right click and copy, or Ctrl+C), is there any way at all to prevent people
copying stuff off of your word doc? I really work hard on some docs and i
dont want people just sitting there, selecting text, doing a copy paste into
another word doc and using it!

I know this is possible because long time ago i've seen a doc sent by a
customer that was like this. If you even tried to select text the cursor
would just jump back to the top, and I don't believe that it was a macro
doing that, it had to be just some feature within Word itself, could someone
please help? I have MS Word 2003.

Jay Freedman · External Since: Mar 17, 2004 Posts: 2852

This is what's known as "a fool's errand".

You can click Tools > Protect Document, in the task pane click the
check box under "Editing restrictions", set the dropdown to "Filling
in forms", and click the Start Enforcing Protection button. If your
document doesn't contain any form fields, it will behave as you
described -- clicking anywhere in the document will send the cursor
back to the top of the document.

However, this "protection" is so easy to defeat that it's laughable.
Just open a new blank document and use the Insert > File command to
insert the protected document. Presto, no protection.

Even if you manage to come up with a better protection scheme, such as
using Microsoft's Information Rights Management (IRM), it's still true
that if someone can see your document they can reproduce it in
editable form. The best you can do is to make it more difficult for
them.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

On Wed, 1 Aug 2007 22:27:49 -0400, "-=- Ajit C -=-"
<coolwilly79.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I know how to password protect a document from being modified or even the
>Protect Document > Comments option. But i notice that no matter what once
>you have the document open you can still select text and do a copy (either
>right click and copy, or Ctrl+C), is there any way at all to prevent people
>copying stuff off of your word doc? I really work hard on some docs and i
>dont want people just sitting there, selecting text, doing a copy paste into
>another word doc and using it!
>
>I know this is possible because long time ago i've seen a doc sent by a
>customer that was like this. If you even tried to select text the cursor
>would just jump back to the top, and I don't believe that it was a macro
>doing that, it had to be just some feature within Word itself, could someone
>please help? I have MS Word 2003.
>
>

-=- Ajit C -=- · External Since: Aug 01, 2007 Posts: 2

Thanks for the advice Jay. Yea you're right, it completely defeats the
purpose.. wonder why they even include such a 'feature'... like "hey here's
how to secure ur document... annnnnd here's how to break it" all in the same
breath... the only other option i have is to make it PDF (though i guess
even that can be broken into if there's a determined mind and the file is
unencrypted) but not everyone uses PDF and actually ask back to mail my
document in word.. frustrating!

"Jay Freedman" <jay.freedman.DeleteThis@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:jgh2b3125afgpjcr3g33u8vlilvbh91q1l@4ax.com...
> This is what's known as "a fool's errand".
>
> You can click Tools > Protect Document, in the task pane click the
> check box under "Editing restrictions", set the dropdown to "Filling
> in forms", and click the Start Enforcing Protection button. If your
> document doesn't contain any form fields, it will behave as you
> described -- clicking anywhere in the document will send the cursor
> back to the top of the document.
>
> However, this "protection" is so easy to defeat that it's laughable.
> Just open a new blank document and use the Insert > File command to
> insert the protected document. Presto, no protection.
>
> Even if you manage to come up with a better protection scheme, such as
> using Microsoft's Information Rights Management (IRM), it's still true
> that if someone can see your document they can reproduce it in
> editable form. The best you can do is to make it more difficult for
> them.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Jay Freedman
> Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
> Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
> newsgroup so all may benefit.
>
> On Wed, 1 Aug 2007 22:27:49 -0400, "-=- Ajit C -=-"
> <coolwilly79.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I know how to password protect a document from being modified or even the
>>Protect Document > Comments option. But i notice that no matter what once
>>you have the document open you can still select text and do a copy (either
>>right click and copy, or Ctrl+C), is there any way at all to prevent
>>people
>>copying stuff off of your word doc? I really work hard on some docs and i
>>dont want people just sitting there, selecting text, doing a copy paste
>>into
>>another word doc and using it!
>>
>>I know this is possible because long time ago i've seen a doc sent by a
>>customer that was like this. If you even tried to select text the cursor
>>would just jump back to the top, and I don't believe that it was a macro
>>doing that, it had to be just some feature within Word itself, could
>>someone
>>please help? I have MS Word 2003.
>>
>>

Jay Freedman · External Since: Mar 17, 2004 Posts: 2852

In the minds of Microsoft developers, "protect" and "secure" are
completely different things.

When you "protect a document for forms", you're preventing the
accidental alteration of the text that surrounds the form fields.
There's absolutely no promise -- not even an intention -- of
protecting the document against deliberate alteration or copying. It's
just meant to make it easy to fill in forms.

"Securing" a document so that it can't be changed is a whole different
proposition. As I said, you can only put obstacles in the way of
someone who really wants to copy and/or change your document. You can
encrypt it, as PDF or by using IRM, and hope it takes a very long time
to break the encryption. But once the document can be displayed on
screen, it can be copied, no matter what schemes you apply. You may be
able to digitally "watermark" it so you can later prove that a copy
came from your document, but even that can be defeated by printing,
scanning, and OCRing it.

On Thu, 2 Aug 2007 20:17:13 -0400, "-=- Ajit C -=-"
<coolwilly79.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Thanks for the advice Jay. Yea you're right, it completely defeats the
>purpose.. wonder why they even include such a 'feature'... like "hey here's
>how to secure ur document... annnnnd here's how to break it" all in the same
>breath... the only other option i have is to make it PDF (though i guess
>even that can be broken into if there's a determined mind and the file is
>unencrypted) but not everyone uses PDF and actually ask back to mail my
>document in word.. frustrating!
>
>"Jay Freedman" <jay.freedman.DeleteThis@verizon.net> wrote in message
>news:jgh2b3125afgpjcr3g33u8vlilvbh91q1l@4ax.com...
>> This is what's known as "a fool's errand".
>>
>> You can click Tools > Protect Document, in the task pane click the
>> check box under "Editing restrictions", set the dropdown to "Filling
>> in forms", and click the Start Enforcing Protection button. If your
>> document doesn't contain any form fields, it will behave as you
>> described -- clicking anywhere in the document will send the cursor
>> back to the top of the document.
>>
>> However, this "protection" is so easy to defeat that it's laughable.
>> Just open a new blank document and use the Insert > File command to
>> insert the protected document. Presto, no protection.
>>
>> Even if you manage to come up with a better protection scheme, such as
>> using Microsoft's Information Rights Management (IRM), it's still true
>> that if someone can see your document they can reproduce it in
>> editable form. The best you can do is to make it more difficult for
>> them.
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>> Jay Freedman
>> Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
>> Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
>> newsgroup so all may benefit.
>>
>> On Wed, 1 Aug 2007 22:27:49 -0400, "-=- Ajit C -=-"
>> <coolwilly79.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>I know how to password protect a document from being modified or even the
>>>Protect Document > Comments option. But i notice that no matter what once
>>>you have the document open you can still select text and do a copy (either
>>>right click and copy, or Ctrl+C), is there any way at all to prevent
>>>people
>>>copying stuff off of your word doc? I really work hard on some docs and i
>>>dont want people just sitting there, selecting text, doing a copy paste
>>>into
>>>another word doc and using it!
>>>
>>>I know this is possible because long time ago i've seen a doc sent by a
>>>customer that was like this. If you even tried to select text the cursor
>>>would just jump back to the top, and I don't believe that it was a macro
>>>doing that, it had to be just some feature within Word itself, could
>>>someone
>>>please help? I have MS Word 2003.
>>>
>>>
>

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.