Adobe canceled my serial number, without cause, or proof. Has this happened to anyone else? [2014]

[pixelbruin]

Hey,

I bought CS6 the Master Collection about 2.5 years ago. Today, it randomly stopped working. I contacted support, and they said my license had expired, and unless I could provide the original receipt they wouldn't show me my licensing agreement. So I have no software, and they won't prove that it was legal to cancel it.

I bought the full version, they claim it was a student version - which is just inaccurate. I should know. Has this happened to anyone else? I am potentially out of a job as a result, and to me, this is just plain theft.

I plan on escalating this to the ends of the earth. If there are enough of us, perhaps a class-action lawsuit is in order.

Thanks,

Sarah Ryan

[pixelbruin]

Bev, if the "terms of the agreement" are anything less than a formal apology and fully reinstated perpetual licenses, we will proceed with legal action. I have over 350 people following my cause with 280 of them joining in the last 24 hours. I can only imagine that number will grow.

I can't imagine why this ever started, but it is preposterous and for some, cruel.

[eso2530]

And what about those individuals who aren't alumni, but also not currently enrolled at the University due to financial reasons? I know of several people who had to take a break from their studies simply because they couldn't afford it and needed to pick up jobs to help finance their continued educations. What happens to those individuals "when" (let's face it, Adobe has screwed up and is dragging its feet at this point) you are able to come to a resolution over this? Are they just going to get swept under the rug simply because they haven't graduated? Their tuition money went towards paying for the software just like every other student's (or so we were led to believe), regardless of whether they have a silly piece of paper to prove they finished the program; what kind of resolution will you provide to them?

The sheer number of similar threads on the Adobe Community forums about this exact issue is honestly nothing short of astonishing! In the past two weeks since this problem seems to have arisen, Adobe's collective response has managed to go from initially dubious to outright deceitful. Your deliberate skirting of this issue has essentially taken food out of the mouths of who-knows-how-many freelancers such as myself, who rely(ed) on you products to make a living. Thanks for ****ing all over our livelihoods!

On a separate note, thank you Sarah (pixelbruin) for your tireless efforts in trying to find a solution to this problem, not only for yourself, but for all of us who have been affected. If it weren't for your diligence in wrangling together licenses, documentation, and legal support, we all would surely be dead in the water at this point. When all of this blows over, you'll deserve to have many a song of praise writ in your honor! I hope other members in this same situation have the good sense and courtesy to reach out and thank you as well!

[pixelbruin]

Aww, darn it. Thanks eso2530!! That's awfully sweet of you to say - thank you so much. Here's the thing, I believe in our community of artists and creatives. We all have a right to work hard, and contribute amazing things to the world. All of us. We will stick together, and get this thing sorted out - one way or another. You said it VERY well when you stated that this theft has affected your ability to provide for yourself. That's the whole reason I'm not letting this die - for anyone. The very people who have supported Adobe over the years are the people being abused. They're picking on the little guy in the school yard, and stealing our milk money, and we can band together to shut the bully up. Have a great day. Customer service should give you a temporary license to use, until we get our full rights back. They've done it for others, and there's no reason they shouldn't do it for you.

[eso2530]

On Monday when I last spoke with customer service, they told me they were escalating my case to the next level up the ladder and that they would contact me by phone when they have more information or a resolution. I'm not holding my breath on hearing back anytime soon... Have you received a temporary key yet?

[pixelbruin]

I did receive one. Bev (see above) issued it to me. I plan on implementing it this evening - hopefully it works. Bev, why can't you offer the same thing to eso2530? We are in the exact same position, so the same treatment seems to be in order. Right?

[mikefromoakland]

how did you get a temporary seriel number?

[pixelbruin]

Bev (see above) gave it to me. She won't give them to anyone else apparently, because I have begged. Feel free to talk to her about it!

[pixelbruin]

Sorry it might be hard to find her info. Her name is Bev Gray, and she works for Adobe. I believe I was given a temp license to make me stop talking, but that isn't proving to be effective. I hope you get yours. I hope we all get perm. codes without the need for lawyers - I am sadly doubtful however.

[mikefromoakland]

[eso2530]

Hey Mike, not sure if you heard or not, but AAU "officially" released a statement today telling us that they're basically giving us back our licenses through December 31, 2015; it's only a temporary fix, and pixelbruin is still doing a fantastic job of continuing to advance our cause in order to get a permanent solution, but I suppose it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. I launched PS CS6 about an hour ago, and after going through the offline activation instructions, was able to get everything back up and running with the same license key that AAU issued me. Hope this helps!

[mikefromoakland]

offline? what did you do?

[eso2530]

So when I first launched PS, the Adobe dialog told me that my product couldn't be activated. It gave me the option to generate a request code that would need to be authenticated within 72 hours. Take the request code and log in to your Adobe profile at adobe.com/go/getactivated; after you're logged in, you'll need to use the request code and your AAU-issued license key to have an activation code generated for you. Plug the activation code back into the Adobe dialog for the program you tried opening and you should be able to re-activate your entire Master Collection. At least, that's what I did, and it seemed to work just fine.

[mikefromoakland]

ive uninstalled but re installed speedgrade opened it gave me an option to license or use trial ?...using my serial I get not valid , I can re install photoshop and try again?

all though I did a search and found an offline activation for acrobat?

m

[eso2530]

Hmmm, yea, I don't know about that. I didn't uninstall my programs, but simply tried launching Photoshop and then followed the instructions in the dialog box that opened. Try just following the steps listed at the link I provided, and see if that works for you instead.

[mikefromoakland]

I do not see a link you provided but photoshop just ak if I want to use the trial or license?

m.

[eso2530]

adobe.com/go/getactivated

Let me know if this doesn'to work for you.

[mikefromoakland]

hi ok so....... I used  APTEE its enter adobe enterprise tool...thing .....use cmd prompt to execute .....stuff..and got a request code...entered the code on the site generated the  response code , re-installed offline(important) entered my serial before installed staying off line. installed opened an app hen asked to validate entered number ...now the trial window does not open or ask for further hindrances...

it may just be easier to install offline to begin with!! or unplug from the web to start but I ventured into the unkown and so far seem ok?....

below is the tool I used
serial number | Adobe Installation and Licensing

mike

how can I check if my serial is validated?

[eso2530]

If you open a program and click the help tab, you should hopefully have the option to "deactivate"; if that's listed, you should be golden. If you really wanted to make sure, you could always log into your profile at Adobe.com and check to see if it's active in your program list.

[mikefromoakland]

aah-ite!! seems ok for now.....guesse ill use cs6 for a while!! I can save!..... yeeeah.....I may join the photo cloud for light room can light room be purchased ?

[mikefromoakland]

Unfortunately I have a trial message after starting Photoshop again...my serial is invalid? Again

* note!

Install online of the rest of my suite gave me valid serial warning install ing off line gave me thumbs up?! Download ing updates now!

[CS100]

I am having the same issue that the other guy had with my serial being invalid. It does not give me any options to generate a request code.  Where are you able to pull up this dialogue?

[astryid]

AAU also told me to talk to Adobe. Another disappointed student/alumni to add to your list!

[pixelbruin]

I have more information. The Academy of Art claims they had "No Idea" Adobe was going to cancel ALL CS6 licenses for both students, and alumni. They seem to doing this in waves to lessen the public uproar. I was told by AAU that "the only option was to upgrade to cloud" and they had "no options for Alumni." Yeah. So basically, Adobe says AAU did it, and AAU says Adobe did it. You know what that means? They are working together to generate 55 million dollars a year (calculate current enrollment only, multiply by annual cost of cloud at a student rate). I don't know how many alumni are affected, but I'm sure that figure doubles.

So, we've all been stolen from, our licensing contracts were not respected, and these giant companies have made it impossible to get any service.

I'm writing to the news papers right now. Stealing from student and new grads is a gross method for making a buck. A new low Adobe. A new low. And with that - America sinks deeper with you.

[Louann108]

So because ours was purchased when my daughter was in Rutgers, it's because Rutgers no longer is using it that we can't? WTH?

[ChristineM86]

I experienced the same problem last week. Twitter is definitely the way to go - I spammed @AdobeCare until I got a response. They issued a temporary serial number which is valid until March 2015. I will be emailing my educational institution to get an update on their progress with Adobe today. The Adobe Care rep did state that this issue is a high priority and they are trying to resolve it, however this doesn't excuse the fact that the error occurred in the first place. I hope they are actually working on resolving the issue, otherwise I know I will be seeking advice from the ACCC and FairTrading  Commission.