Aries Systems Corporation

Overview

Delivery of scholarly content in electronic format is being revolutionized by the World Wide Web. Publishing business models are being rethought as the potentials and economies of the Web are being explored by authors, publishers, professional societies, and individual subscribers and readers. The enormous potential of content distribution on the Internet is tempered by the publisher's concern of misuse and unauthorized copying of electronic materials. Copyright protection has always been a major issue for the publisher - now, the simplicity, low cost and seeming anonymity of electronically duplicated content poses an even greater challenge for the publisher. To address these concerns, Aries Systems has designed the DocuRights system for secure electronic publishing and document delivery. DocuRights is a multi-faceted service that simultaneously

Protects the proprietary rights of the publisher.
Protects the acquisition rights of the document recipient.
Encourages secondary re-marketing of the document to the economic benefit of the publisher.
Provides the publisher with document-level distribution/use information.

Content Presentation & Distribution

Documents protected and distributed with DocuRights are prepared and delivered electronically as secure PDF (Portable Document Format) page image files. Unlike typical browser-based content, PDF files retain the original print page esthetics and desirable readability characteristics. The PDF file can be requested from a Web page that presents either an abstract of the article, or the complete article in an interactive browsable format. Before the PDF file is transmitted, the DocuRights server:

Authenticates and identifies the requesting user, if the user is a bona fide subscriber.
Alternatively solicits an e-commerce transaction payment from the user, which is processed and validated in real-time.
Lets the user select the PDF file quality, size and download time that best suits the user's Internet connection speed.
Packages the PDF file in a secure, encrypted "wrapper", which can only be opened with the document key - the user's subscription or purchase identity.
Inserts into the margin of the document a legend identifying the document key (the user's confidential and valuable subscription or purchase identity), along with a publisher-defined message cautioning against unauthorized disclosure of the document key.

The DocuRights server maintains a complete and detailed history of document distribution. This assures that, once a user has acquired a document, they can obtain a replacement copy without further cost.

User Libraries

When the user receives a downloaded PDF file, it can be stored in a designated DocuRights library on the user's local hard drive. Saving of the document creates an automatic access authorization, so that the document can subsequently be opened at any time with Adobe® Acrobat® Reader without further authentication. Fair-use copying of the files onto other computers of the user is permitted, up to a publisher-designated number of instances (to accommodate scenarios such as computer upgrades, office-to-home-to-portable transfers). With a single online Web connection, the user can then authenticate their identity and prior right-to-use the document(s) being transferred. PDF files can be printed at any time by the user. Print copies include the marginal notation of the recipient's identity and the publisher's chosen statement of copyright obligations.

Document Redistribution and Repurchase

Like any computer file, a DocuRights PDF file can be copied to a diskette, attached to an e-mail, or otherwise transmitted to other individuals. However, since the "primary" document recipient is intrinsically discouraged from also communicating the document key, the secondary recipient will not have immediate access to the article contents. Instead, the "smart" DocuRights document solicits repurchase information from the secondary recipient. Details of the repurchase are maintained in the document's secure wrapper (including the identity of the primary recipient), so a complete history of pass-along information is maintained in the document copy.

The DocuRights repurchase mechanism is a powerful revenue generating, marketing and business tool for the publisher:

Primary subscribers become promotional channels into secondary distribution of content.
All secondary distribution transaction details are available to the publisher.
Secondary recipients can subsequently be invited to become subscribers.
Reader interest can be tracked to individual articles, enhancing the process of editorial content selection.
Egregious cases of copyright violation can be traced through the distribution audit trail maintained in each document.

Distribution Models

DocuRights supports distribution of content in a variety of settings:

Subscriptions for individuals, where the user has access to a publisher-defined range of content.
Subscriptions for institutions and libraries.
Individual document purchase and repurchase.
Course pack, reprint and other bulk copyright licensing arrangements.

Availability

DocuRights is now in active use for pay-per-article access to more than 100 scientific journals. Several leading publishers are also using DocuRights in projects for IP-based subscription access to scientific literature and electronic commercial reprints.