Copying published page content

[group14]

How can I prevent a user from copying and pasting the contents of a text box, table or frame?

[Lorraine]

You can't.

[ak732]

Well...

You *could* shoot the user.  That could work.

Kidding aside, you could, at least for text boxes and tables, use Javascript to make it much harder to do.  Problem is, users can disable Javascript.  You could require Javascript and only display the values in those non-copyable regions if Javascript is enabled.  But clever users could then leave Javascript on to render the content, then turn it off momentarily to copy it.

You could also put your content into images or a Flash movie.  Then only the images would be copy/past-able.  But then it wouldn't be text-boxes or tables?

Things can get more complicated with frames because, depending on your particular needs, you don't necessarily have access to the content displayed inside the frame.

So, all things considered, I like Lorraine's answer better; you can't.

[Corobori]

So, all things considered, I like Lorraine's answer better; you can't.

You might find a trick for the copy/paste action but not for the "Print Screen" key of the keyboard and even less for somebody just keying in the content of a web page into another system.

[Lorraine]

You could also put your content into images or a Flash movie.  Then only the images would be copy/past-able.  But then it wouldn't be text-boxes or tables?

Nope...as Google can now read Flash content, so that Flash sites will now be indexable...making that text available, too. There may eventually even be "View HTML" links for Flash pages, just as there are for .pdf files, Word docs and so forth.

No more hiding stuff in Flash!

[ak732]

You could also put your content into images or a Flash movie.  Then only the images would be copy/past-able.  But then it wouldn't be text-boxes or tables?

Nope...as Google can now read Flash content, so that Flash sites will now be indexable...making that text available, too. There may eventually even be "View HTML" links for Flash pages, just as there are for .pdf files, Word docs and so forth.

No more hiding stuff in Flash!

The text objects in a SWF file may be indexable.  But I still don't think one can copy and paste text from a flash movie on a web page.  At least I cannot figure out how to do it.

[Lorraine]

Simple copy-and-paste? Probably not.

I still expect that Google will, eventually, present HTML versions of cached Flash content, just as they now do for .pdf files, Word docs, and other such non-HTML files.  In any case, there are programs to decompile .swf files and a screen shot sent through an OCR program will give you an electronic version of text on a screen. What about a modification of CAPTCHA-breaking code? Or, simply, a user re-typing what's there, as Jean-Luc mentions. Flash won't keep your words uncopied.

The best thing to do is throw a copyright notice on it and hope for the best. If you don't want people to spread your ideas...you have to keep 'em to yourself!