Digital Editions/Password Security for PDF

Hi

I am wondering if the Digital Editions reader will eventually support PDF security passwords. I use Acrobat 8 Professional, so I experimented by (1) creating a Word document, then (2) creating it in PDF using Acrobat 8 Pro, then (3) setting a password for opening the PDF.

I just installed the latest Digital Editions reader, then added the newly created PDF to its library. A message displays in the Digital Editions reader saying that this version does not support passwords. (If I add a non-password version of the same PDF to the library, it views OK.)

Is there a way to password secure the PDF's that can be added to the library and displayed in the Digital Editions reader? If not currently, is there any plan to add password support in a later version?

For those who wish to password protect a PDF for use in the Digital Editions reader, but are not wishing to add the expense of DRM or commercial deployment via a third-party, this would be a potentially useful feature.

Kind Regards,

Stephen