Why doesn't Adobe go after counterfeit products on Google?

Protecting intellectual property and combating counterfeit products is a complex and ongoing challenge for many companies, including Adobe. While it is not possible to comment on Adobe's specific actions or strategies, it's worth noting that addressing counterfeit products involves various factors and considerations, including legal processes, resource allocation, and collaboration with other entities.

Food Box

Hi @Fred29934053c91l, I'm not from Adobe but I am a former Adobe reseller.

First, some of the items shown in the Google screen capture are not Adobe products. The PDF file format became opensource in 2008 and now any company can create PDF tools. So www.pdfpro.com and PDF Editor can sell their products at whatever price they want. And their products are legitimate.

The items with the trademarks "Adobe" and Acrobat" on them are branded as Adobe products and these could be fraudulent, stolen, or grey-market software. Or maybe some nitwitt who thinks he can sell his old unused license to someone else.

We used to work with Adobe's lawyers on legal issues like this and I learned that it's nearly impossible to crack these sellers. Most operate internationally, so US laws can't be enforced, although there has been improvement on this with international laws. But still, there's always some country willing to front (and protect) these theives.

And Google doesn't appear to help much, either.

Unfortunately, consumers who are suckered into buying this crud find out too late that it won't run on their computer, can't be registered, lacks valid product keys and serial numbers, or any of a half dozen more scenarios. And they're out of the money, too. They might be able to reverse the charge through their credit card company or PayPal, but not always.

It boils down to caveat emptor (buyer beware).