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Adobe trials document encryption for ecommerce

By John Oates

Published: Wednesday 01 September 1999

Adobe has launched a trial version of its latest software for downloading, paying for and formatting encrypted documents.

Adobe claims the technology can be used to ease the secure distribution of books, technical manuals and other documents over the Net.

The Web Buy program - which comes as a plug-in for the Acrobat Reader - allows users to search a document and scale it for printing, or display on different screen sizes. Web Buy will be available from the fourth quarter of 1999.

The company has also announced server software to work with Web Buy, called Adobe PDF Merchant. The software will encrypt PDF files and establish the distribution of the keys needed to read the documents, as well as integrating with existing ecommerce applications.

Xerox, Barnes & Noble, Pearson and Fatbrain.com are all working with the technology.