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Re: PDF on websites + PDF is *not* accessible

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From: Olaf Drümmer
Date: Jul 11, 2013 12:49AM

Hi Ryan,

this goes back to a special arrangement between Adobe and ISO:
- usually you would have to purchase the PDF standard from ISO and pay for it
- as part of the handing over of the PDF spec to ISO, Adobe retained the right to offer as a free download the very same standard document
- in order to make clear which is which (offered by ISO for a fee vs. offered by Adobe free of charge), a copyright notice is included on the version of the PDF standard offered for download by Adobe
- that copyright notice is for **this specific** version of the standard (ISO most probably insisted on this for formal legal reasons)
- the copyright notice is not for the content / standard as such; this should also become very clear if you read the foreword and introduction.
- in case this hasn't become clear yet: PDF 1.7 as specified in ISO 32000-1 is wholly owned by ISO.

HTH

Olaf


On 11 Jul 2013, at 07:31, Ryan E. Benson < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

>> Acrobat - proprietary application from Adobe Systems
>> PDF - open file-format
>
> However, if you grab a copy of the PDF Standard, at least my copy, has the
> following (c) Adobe Systems. So, if the format was truly open wouldn't ISO,
> AIIM, PDF Association own it, not the proprietary company? Seems backwards
> to me.
>
> --
> Ryan E. Benson
>