Adobe has crippled my ability to work at Disney by violating its terms of service. Help!

[zandernice]

I need help, I’m at the end of my rope with Adobe and I’m about to call a lawyer as adobe is in violation of its own terms and service. 

To make a long story short:

I work in Hollywood with film Directors on the studio lot. I use an perpetual version of photoshop because I use custome scripts Ive created over the years specifically for film production. Last week, I swapped out a CPU on my workstation which in turn, somehow deleted my photoshop activation. *important to note, the computer and all other software apps on my workstation are still running fine, but adobe refuses to allow me to register my photoshop saying "I should have deactivated my photoshop before i swapped out me CPU. "

...No where in the documentation does it say I should have deactivated PS before swapping out a CPU. It simply states that I need to deactivate if I move to a new workstation. THIS IS THE SAME WORKSTATION and amounts to them stealing my property and 

....yet their customer service rep rudely interrupts and repeats "you should have read the terms of service" over and over again. I've never dealt with such an absolutely rude and insulting customer service in my life. They tell me to wait a few days and they will get back to me. They never do.  After 48hrs passes I call them back, I can literally hear them breathing in the phone (weird) ..then they hung up on me ..multiple times in a row before finally taking my call. 

A little background: I used to contribute to Adobe's beta program giving them insight from a film production viewpoint. I speak at large creator events that are sponsored by Adobe and have presented in front of thousands of artists / Adobe customers.  I teach as well … I'm on the board of directors at an art school in Hollywood using adobe products. None of has even been a consideration by Adobe. Not in the least. (Not that it should I suppose)

I've always been a huge proponent of Adobe. I do have subscriptions with them - I just need to hold on to my older versions for the custom film production tools my company has developed. 

My point is that I am a long-time Adobe power user working at Disney and Adobe has wrongfully stopped my ability to do my job this week. .. and they’re hiding behind a false interpretation of the terms of service to justify refusing to unlock my software I purchased. 

My question is this: Who can I contact at adobe that isn’t a person just reading a prewritten script and dismissing a legitimate claim? Has anyone successfully gone through legal channels to get Adobe to follow its own terms of service? (Im starting me search for legal channels today) Lastly, Im looking for influencers and like-minded people who are fed up with Adobe operating in shady abusive ways that are affecting our ability to make an honest living. 

I’ll be posting this on every adobe forum I can find on the web and social media, as well as creating some videos explaining my situation. I am also booked to speak at an big art conference next month and am in the process of  creating a new anti-adobe presentation for the audience. I’m just so frustrated with companies like this making it harder and harder to put food on my family’s table. 

[Glenn 8675309]

Your solution is quite simple:  drop in the old cpu, deactivate all your adobe products, put in the new cpu, reactivate. 

As a power user I'm sure you have made backups of all custom content (brushes, color swatches, fonts, etc...) and have that on a backup drive somewhere. 

. Adobe discontinued selling perpetual licenses for Photoshop in January 2017- so that tells me you areworking with software that is about 8 years old, which may work for you, however, workign with older unsupported software can lead to issues. 

Click on your image icon in the upper right of this page, then help.   
When the window pops up:  type in AGENT, no more, no less, just AGENT.

I would recommend condensing your concerns into a few text files you can copy and paste from.

[zandernice]

wait.. I cant tell if your response is meant to be a joke or not becasue if it isnt, you seem to be incredably ignorant about tech (or at best, ill-informed) . Firstly, you're suggesting I unplug my entire computer again, reconfigure my bios, buy and apply more thermal paste and put an old cpu in... just to gain the ability to deactivate photoshop? Really my friend? Secondly, your assumption that my custom tools are just "brushes, colorswsatches and fonts" shows you have no idea about the world I'm operating in.  A quick search of your ID history shows you're a adobe elements user.... indicating youre in no position to even be responding as a Jr user. To be dismissive about the age of my software negates the fact that I payed 2 thousands dollars to own something perpetually which has now been taken away. If they start making cars a pay-as-you-go model, and then reposess  your previously purchased vehicle simply becasue its too old you'd feel like yuou were robbed like I was. 

re: the copy/paste text suggestion... Good idea. thank you

[Glenn 8675309]

I offered a suggestion that would solve you issue rather quickly but apparently you have chosen to go another route.  Good luck.  Glad you found the copy /paste idea useful. 

[Stephen Marsh]

Last week, I swapped out a CPU on my workstation which in turn, somehow deleted my photoshop activation.

By @Glenn 8675309

It's common (I.e. an industry wide practice) licensing to be tied to specific hardware components. Therefore, one changes components with the inherent risk of breaking a license.

You still haven't mentioned if this is CS6  or earlier?

The activation servers for CS5 or earlier have been retired. CS6 can still be licensed, proving that you haven't exceeded the allowed activation count, making it critical to deactivate as Adobe are not resetting activations if the limit has been reached (whether intentionally or not).

[davescm]

For clarity, both CS5 and CS6 can still be activated provided that there are remaining activations available. We had this clarified recently with Adobe staff.

Dave

[zandernice]

Over the years, just having computers die out on me has exhausted the activcations.

[Stephen Marsh]

@davescm 

I can never remember the licensing/activation status of CS5/5.5/6 and searching for an official Adobe link escaped me.

[zandernice]

I have no remaining activations due to previous CPU's & motherboards dying on me 

[Stephen Marsh]

Are you using CS6 or something older?

[zandernice]

CS6

[ExUSA]

Presumably Disney has an enterprise site license that doesn't require individual activations, that covers current application versions. What are we missing here?

[zandernice]

I don’t really see why it's relevant, but i have a rig with additional hardware that the studios rent from me. Also, as stated above,  I am using an older version of PS because of some custom tools

[ExUSA]

Its relevant because you are using old, unsupported software that has reached end of life. What that means in practice is if it breaks, its broken. This isn't unusual or fraud.

[zandernice]

Your concept of a "Perpetual" product legally purchased having an end of life is inherently contradictory.... you claim is at its end of life and "unsupported" yet the deactivation service phoning home is active and fully supported on Adobes end. The deactivation servers have  support yet the software itself doesn’t? They cant greenlight the software I paid for? I’m sorry that’s ridiculous. I gave them 2 grand for perpetual use of a product, I built a business off of it, and adobe killing my ability to feed my family. .. all while people like you tow the company line. Your old car has reached the end of life and car manufacturer is coming to repossess it. .. can you see how stupid that sounds?

[ExUSA]

I don't think your analogy holds up very well.

[frazzlesnap]

I'm sorry, but I am afraid that your easiest course of action is also the most annoying. As was previously suggested, swap your old cpu back in, log in to Adobe, deactivate your device, and then upgrade again. I had to do this with CS4, many, many years ago.  I semi-regularly build and upgrade custom computers for people, and just upgraded my old Threadripper Pro 3955wx at home to a slightly-less-old Threadripper Pro 5965wx. I forgot to to jump through Microsoft's hoops before doing this, and ended up having to go through some annoying procedure to verify my installation of the OS. With Adobe, and Microsoft, and others, this kind of thing just happens when we forget to do things in the right order. I sympathize with your position, I really do.