PDF/A read only
There is actually nothing the PDF/A specification that states that states that it should be read only. Adobe has been criticized for adding the "read-only mode" to the viewer if the attached meta data is labeled PDF/a. The specification states how the file should be written, not how it should be viewed.
The form fields can be set as read/only using the appropriate annotation flag and the viewer will respect it.
It is also possible to use the system property org.icepdf.core.annotations.interactive.enabled=false to disable annotation interactions. There is however a bug in the current widget implementation which will be fixed beofre the 6.2 release.
Bug
Major
PDF/A read only
There is actually nothing the PDF/A specification that states that states that it should be read only. Adobe has been criticized for adding the "read-only mode" to the viewer if the attached meta data is labeled PDF/a. The specification states how the file should be written, not how it should be viewed.
The form fields can be set as read/only using the appropriate annotation flag and the viewer will respect it.
It is also possible to use the system property org.icepdf.core.annotations.interactive.enabled=false to disable annotation interactions. There is however a bug in the current widget implementation which will be fixed beofre the 6.2 release.