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What has just happened? Adobe has sent emails warning users of older Adobe products that they may violate copyright laws if they continue to use older versions. The warning could be related to a lawsuit filed by Dolby, but it is unclear how this will affect subscribers. Be that as it may, it's not a good idea for subscription-based software developers.
Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers may have legal issues if they use older versions of CC applications. Adobe sent emails to customers to warn them that continued use of old apps could "expose them to third-party lawsuits". This evolution follows Adobe's recent disruption of older versions of its popular content creation suite.
Last week, Adobe posted a message on its blog that subscribers could only download the two most recent versions of all CC applications, with the exception of Acrobat (which only has the latest). Email messages sent to customers also indicate that older versions have been discontinued and customers are no longer allowed to use them.
I just received an email from @Adobe that I am no longer allowed to use the software I pay. It's time to cancel my subscription, I guess.
Share plz. pic.twitter.com/ZIIdqK5AkM
– Matt Roszak (@KupoGames) May 10, 2019
The actual legal implication is unknown, however. Adobe does not disclose what is meant by "third party breach" but, according to Apple Insider, Dolby sues Adobe for breach of the license agreement. Adobe is contractually required to inform Dolby of sales figures in order to pay Dolby the required royalties. Dolby says that Adobe sells products that use Dolby technology without paying royalties or refusing to provide audit information.
It appears that Adobe can indirectly warn its customers that Dolby may be seeking an infringement of the copyright against the subscribers themselves. Terminating old versions may be a way for Adobe to legally protect itself by claiming that it is not responsible for "unlicensed" software, which absolves it from royalty payments.
There are many reasons why users can keep older versions. Maybe their project might fail if the underlying program is updated. They may not be able to upgrade to hardware that supports the latest two versions. Some features or changes may also interrupt the current workflow of the user.
Although the link between copyright infringement and Creative Cloud subscriptions is not known, it does not seem fair to pay customers who simply want to use their applications without problems. This also highlights one of the problems inherent in subscription services versus owning a product.
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