It appears that Adobe is warning some users of its Creative Cloud apps that they can’t use older versions of the software.
It appears that Adobe is warning some users of its Creative Cloud apps that they can’t use older versions of the software, reports Vice. Users of older versions may face potential “infringement claims” from third-party companies. Little is known about those third-party team, but let’s look into the whole situation.
The team began sending some users of Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Premiere, Animate, and Media Director apps a letter with a warning that users are no longer legally authorized to use the software they may have thought they owned.
“We have recently discontinued certain older versions of Creative Cloud applications and as a result, under the terms of our agreement, you are no longer licensed to use them,” Adobe states in the email. “Please be aware that should you continue to use the discontinued version(s), you may be at risk of potential claims of infringement by third parties.”
The team doesn’t inform users about the reasons for discontinuing use of the software. Dylan Gilbert, a copyright expert with consumer group Public Knowledge, commented on the situation.
“Unless Adobe has violated the terms of its licensing agreement by this sudden discontinuance of support for an earlier software version, which is unlikely, these impacted users have to just grin and bear it,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert states that consumers now never actually own anything that contains software. This new reality forces users to agree to “take it or leave it”, so the licensor can change its terms of service without notice.
The company has all the power they need to force its users to upgrade to newer more expensive versions, so it’s all about the undue power and influence of EULAs over the lives of consumers. We want to own the things we buy, but we don’t. That’s just the way it works.