dotnet/wpf · error · InvalidOperationException

SR.RMProviderExceptionNotOwnerOfDocument

Error message

SR.RMProviderExceptionNotOwnerOfDocument

What it means

Thrown by RightsManagementManager.ShowPublishing (invoked from ShowPermissions) when the document is rights-protected but the current user's use license does not grant AllowOwner. Republishing (editing permissions) of a protected document is reserved for owners, so the publishing UI refuses to open.

Solutions

Run the publishing/permissions flow under the account that owns the document (has AllowOwner)
Have an owner re-publish the document granting Owner rights to the intended user
Check the acquired use license actually grants AllowOwner before opening the dialog
Publish a new document with the desired permissions instead of republishing the protected one

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

var license = GetUseLicense();
if (license == null || !license.HasPermission(RightsManagementPermissions.AllowOwner))
    throw new InvalidOperationException("Owner rights required to edit permissions.");

Type guard

bool IsOwner(RightsManagementLicense l) => l != null && l.HasPermission(RightsManagementPermissions.AllowOwner);

Try / catch

try { ShowPermissions(); }
catch (InvalidOperationException) { /* inform user only owners can edit permissions */ }

Prevention

Only expose the publishing UI to owner accounts
Cache owner status with the license and gate UI commands on it
Verify AllowOwner permission before any republish flow

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ShowPermissions/ShowPublishing on a protected document while logged in as a non-owner whose use license lacks RightsManagementPermissions.AllowOwner.

Common situations: End user tries to edit permissions of a document published by someone else; app runs under a different account than the one that protected the document; RM license was acquired for read-only rights.

Understand the failure class

Background: Permission denied / not authorized / 403 Forbidden: access-control rejections when the caller lacks the required role, grant, or ownership — this error's family across 18 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/wpf@81131a70a4 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d015baa7a7c2154d. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/Microsoft.DotNet.Wpf/src/PresentationUI/MS/Internal/Documents/RightsManagementManager.cs:426

        /// </summary>
        internal void ShowPublishing()
        {
            if (!ChooseCredentials(false))
            {
                // If there are no credentials, and we can't select any, we
                // should just bail out.  If there was an error somewhere
                // during choosing credentials, an explanatory message box
                // should already have been shown.
                return;
            }

            if (_rmProvider.IsProtected)
            {
                RightsManagementLicense license = GetUseLicense();
                if (license == null ||
                    !(license.HasPermission(RightsManagementPermissions.AllowOwner)))
                {
                    throw new InvalidOperationException(
                        SR.RMProviderExceptionNotOwnerOfDocument);
                }
            }

            IDictionary<RightsManagementUser, RightsManagementLicense> allRights = null;
            if (_rmProvider.IsProtected)
            {
                allRights = _rmProvider.GetAllAccessRights();
            }

            // Create the publishing dialog outside of the while loop so that it is only
            // constructed once, rather than on each loop.
            RMPublishingDialog rmPublish = null;
            bool statusChanged = false;

            try
            {
                rmPublish =

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