Adobe Warns Customers of Potential Legal Action for Using Older Versions of Creative Cloud Apps

Last week, Adobe announced that older versions of Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop and Lightroom would no longer be available to its subscribers, and today, Adobe started sending out warning emails encouraging customers to update or potentially risk legal action.

Adobe today started sending out warning emails to customers who are using older versions of Creative Cloud apps, letting them know those older versions are no longer licensed.


"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," warns the email.

Adobe goes on to suggest that customers upgrade to the latest versions of the Creative Cloud apps using the Creative Cloud Desktop application.


Adobe last week said that going forward, Creative Cloud members will only have direct download access to the two most recent major versions of Creative Cloud desktop applications rather than multiple earlier versions.

Focusing our efforts on the latest two major releases of Creative Cloud applications, which the vast majority of Adobe customers are already using, will further enable us to develop the features and functionality most requested by customers and ensure peak performance and benefits across Windows and Mac operating systems. Business customers in need of an older version of a Creative Cloud application should contact their IT Administrator to see if one is available.

In a statement to AppleInsider, Adobe said that it could not comment on the third-party infringement issue because it "concerns ongoing litigation."

Adobe recently discontinued certain older versions of Creative Cloud applications. Customers using those versions have been notified that they are no longer licensed to use them and were provided guidance on how to upgrade to the latest authorized versions.

Unfortunately, customers who continue to use or deploy older, unauthorized versions of Creative Cloud may face potential claims of infringement by third parties. We cannot comment on claims of third-party infringement, as it concerns ongoing litigation.

Adobe is in the midst of a lawsuit with Dolby and has accused Adobe of copyright infringement and breach of contract, which could be the reason why past versions of Creative Cloud apps are now restricted.

Each of the emails that are going out to customers are customized and will list the older versions of the apps that are still in use. Most users are likely to be unaffected by the change, but some who preferred to use older versions will likely need to update.