Getting around Adobe's document protection schemes

ps_to_pdf_content_protected_pdfs.sh

############ Adobe badness  #############

# In your operating system, create a postscript printer whose address is 127.0.0.1

# Fake a postscript printer using netcat
$ nc -l  127.0.0.1 9100 > printout.ps

# Print your pdf using Adobe Reader to the postscript printer on 127.0.0.1
# Netcat will diligently dump the printout to printout.ps as a postscript file

# The postscript file is encrypted and can't be converted by Ghostscript utils
$ ps2pdf printout.ps printout.pdf
  This PostScript file was created from an encrypted PDF file.
  Redistilling encrypted PDF is not permitted.
  Error: /undefined in --eexec--
  Operand stack:
     --nostringval--   --dict:94/200(L)--   quit
  Execution stack:
     %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   1894   1   3   %oparray_pop   1893   1   3   %oparray_pop   1877   1   3   %oparray_pop   1771   1   3   %oparray_pop   --nostringval--   %errorexec_pop   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   1762   2   3   %oparray_pop   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
  Dictionary stack:
     --dict:1163/1684(ro)(G)--   --dict:1/20(G)--   --dict:94/200(L)--   --dict:1163/1684(ro)(G)--
  Current allocation mode is local
  Last OS error: No such file or directory
  GPL Ghostscript 9.07: Unrecoverable error, exit code 1


############ Portable goodness  #############

# Fake a postscript printer using netcat
$ nc -l  127.0.0.1 9100 > printout2.ps

# Print your pdf using Adobe Reader to the postscript printer on 127.0.0.1


# Yank out adobe file protection gunk from the postscript file generated by netcat
$ sed -e "/mark currentfile eexec/,/cleartomark/ d" printout2.ps > printout_clean2.ps

# Convert away!
$ ps2pdf printout_clean2.ps  printout_clean2.pdf

# Enjoy your newly found portability!