Microsoft's Rights Management technology is coming to a host of third-party desktop and line-of-business applications — with or without the blessing of the app vendors themselves.

Microsoft introduced last year its Rights Management Services (RMS) solution, designed to control the digital distribution of documents. Since then, several services and infrastructure firms, such as EDS, Digex, Reciprocal, GigaMedia Access and SyncCast, have announced plans to back Microsoft's platform. But none of the largest independent software vendors (ISVs) has done so.

But who needs ISVs?

Data-security vendor Liquid Machines announced Wednesday that it will RMS-enable a number of key desktop and back-end applications, including Adobe's Acrobat, AutoDesk's AutoCAD, Documentum's content-management system, PeopleSoft's human-resources system, SAP's ERP system and Siebel's CRM. It also will RMS-enable Office XP and Office 2000 — two of Microsoft's own products that the Redmond, Wash., company has not included in its RMS coverage plans.

RMS is designed to control documents, as opposed to audio/video content that is typically controlled via digital rights management systems. Indeed, Microsoft's RMS platform is completely separate from the DRM system that is built into its Windows Media System.

Microsoft officially took the wraps off RMS last fall. There are three components to the system: an RMS server, RMS client and an add-on for Internet Explorer that allow RMS users who aren't running Office on the desktop to view RMS-enabled apps. Microsoft just released the Internet Explorer add-on piece of its solution last Friday, by quietly posting it to its Web site.

The first — and so far only — RMS-enabled application is Microsoft Office 2003. (Microsoft claims there are four RMS-enabled apps: Office 2003, Word 2003, Excel 2003 and PowerPoint 2003.)

Liquid Machines says it has patent-pending "auto-integration" technology and an application-programming interface (API) framework that will allow the company to integrate the third-party software into Microsoft's RMS system.

Liquid Machines vice president Ed Gaudet adds that the company also plans to offer through systems integrators technology that will allow services companies to RMS-enable companies' custom-built applications.

The first applications that are RMS-enabled using Liquid Machines' technology should be ready by mid-year, Gaudet says.

Liquid Machines has posted a white paper with more details on its RMS-enablement plans here.