PDF's by their very nature are binary files and thus have no native protection unless the source requires a release code to allow download or the viewer includes a DRM method. Alternatively on method is to scramble (encrypt) so a password is needed to unscramble the key functionality.

This is why many sites include a challenger mechanism like a region block, cookies, captchas or timer-based limitation.

Likewise, some sites / PDF files may even in the past have tested for Adobe DRM Reader is the viewer.

Since a PDF must download to view the security is often introduced by cookies testing for browsers. Also the URL is not a /file.pdf but an instructive URL. Thus, without Agent cookies or a true filename a PDF reader can not download a file.

The given example is a Public file and in its response has

Content-Disposition: inline; filename="2025_1214_Citizens_Bank_N_A_v_Jose_L_Benitez_SR_et_al_NOTICE_OF_PENDENCY_6.pdf"

This indicates it is not protected at all but does expect a browsers signature (user Agent) to allow for "inline" Dispositioning from server to recipient.

Thus to easily download and view you just need to signal as a browser user. NOTE: This shows that in this case cookies and other automatic challenge bypass is not needed the file is NOT protected, however, may not work for more complex cases.

cURL -Lo file.pdf -A "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:60.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/81.0" https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=cdHe_PLUS_DaUdFKcTLzBtSo6zw==

PDF's by their very nature are binary files and thus have no native protection unless the source requires a release code to allow download or the viewer includes a DRM method. Alternatively, one method is to scramble (encrypt) the PDF. So an opener password is needed to unscramble the key PDF readers functionality.

This is why many sites include a challenger mechanism, like a region IP block, cookies, captchas or timer-based limitation.

Likewise, some sites / PDF files may even in the past have tested for Adobe DRM Reader is the viewer.

Since a PDF must download to view the security is often introduced by cookies testing for browsers. Also the URL is not a /file.pdf but an instructive URL. Thus, without Agent cookies or a true filename a PDF reader can not download a file.

The given example is a Public file and in its response has

Content-Disposition: inline; filename="2025_1214_Citizens_Bank_N_A_v_Jose_L_Benitez_SR_et_al_NOTICE_OF_PENDENCY_6.pdf"

This indicates it is not protected at all but does expect a browsers signature (user Agent) to allow for "inline" Dispositioning from server to recipient.

Thus to easily download and view you just need to signal as a browser user. NOTE: This shows that in this case cookies and other automatic challenge bypass is not needed the file is NOT protected, however, may not work for more complex cases.

cURL -Lo file.pdf -A "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:60.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/81.0" https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=cdHe_PLUS_DaUdFKcTLzBtSo6zw==