"this media file is no longer available"

[EkorrenHJ]

Went through my media library and found several images that could no longer be downloaded. In some cases, the artist themselves seemed to no longer be available on Adobe Stock. They're noted as "this media file is no longer available."

* I would like to know why images that have previously been licensed have suddenly been removed from the site? 

* I would like to know in what capacity these images can still be used? (I did license them after all).

* If they cannot be used because of copyright issues or whatnot, I would like to know how that would legally affect things if they have already been used in publications? For example, if I use a stock image for commercial purposes, that image is removed from this site, and then someone accuses me of theft, then I assume that Adobe should be liable and not me. I still have the ID numbers for all the images after all to prove that you licensed them to me. 

* Also, if I should avoid using these images because they're removed from Adobe Stock, then shouldn't I be redeemed credits for them so that I can license new images?

Affected Images:

Licensed 2017-05-11
Created by maxpetrov
ID #108606551

Licensed 2017-06-23
Created by vukkostic
ID #110980419

Licensed 2017-08-24
Created by Militarist
ID #70130243

Licensed 2017-08-24
Created by ozaiachin
ID #118062701

Licensed 2017-11-02
Created by grandfailure
ID #168647332

Licensed 2018-03-02
Created by vukkostic
ID #83661566

Licensed 2018-03-24
Created by celiafoto
ID #196626227

Licensed 2019-05-11
Created by Kami Na
ID #229201257

Licensed 2019-07-08
Created by Ardea-studio
ID #211536207

Licensed 2020-05-25
Created by drivemax97
ID #322329877

Licensed 2020-06-08
Created by drivemax97
ID #246793994

Licensed 2020-06-08
Created by drivemax97
ID #283462514

Licensed 2020-09-17
Created by luxlumen_minor
ID #72277335

Licensed 2020-09-25
Created by Photobank
ID #354629078

Licensed 2020-12-18
Created by Alexandra Petruk
ID #338282163

Licensed 2021-02-06
Created by Богдан Rolmar
ID #335822906

Licensed 2021-05-08
Created by danielegay
ID #395256379

Licensed 2021-05-10
Created by Olexandr
ID #407747708

Licensed 2021-10-13
Created by monika
ID #462064896

[Abambo]

There may be more than one reason for asset removal. There are two most probable reasons:

• The contributor deleted this asset or his account. There is no issue using the asset according to the licensing agreement.
• Adobe deleted the asset or account for a reason:
  • Quality issues: the asset has serious quality issues, that make it not suitable for Adobe stock use. If you, however, think that the quality is good enough for your application, there is no reason for not continuing using the asset.
  • Violation of the contributor agreement: the contributor did something that got him barred from selling on Adobe stock. There are many possible actions that may lead to such a drastic step, I would guess, the most common reason is, that the contributor tried to boost his account by prohibited methods. There is no reason to stop using the asset.
  • Less often, contributors get caught by stealing other people's work. This leads to a copyright issue brought to the attention of Adobe. You should read paragraph 10 of the licensing terms ("Adobe Stock Additional Terms"), to see what Adobe will do for you and what you will need to do. 

Look here for more information on licensing: https://community.adobe.com/t5/stock/links-for-licensing-terms/td-p/11366788
(Disclaimer: As always with licensing, this is my interpretation of the rules. I think they are correct and advice is based on reading and interpreting the licence terms and on fair use for both the buyer and the artist/stock company, but I cannot rule out that my interpretation is wrong. I'm not an Adobe employee).

[EkorrenHJ]

My assumption then, based on your reply and what I read in the additional terms, is that I should be safe to use the files since Adobe hasn't asked me to stop using them.

[Abambo]

Worst case is that Adobe took down the media because the contributor violated a copyright or trademark law. As they haven't notified you, I think that this was not the case, and you can assume that it is still safe to use the asset.

I suppose that Adobe notes down the reasons for a stock media take down. You could always try contacting Adobe customer care. Adobe customer care can be contacted by beginning a secure chat session at https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen. Pop-up blockers need to be disabled! If the chat window fails to open, or is non-responsive, use a different device to start the interaction.
Support phone numbers may be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/phone.html. Please note that phone charges may apply.

(see also here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/creative-cloud-services/how-to-contact-adobe-support/td-p/11875703 or here
https://community.adobe.com/t5/account-payment-plan/how-to-contact-adobe-support/td-p/11843852)

(Disclaimer: As always with licensing, this is my interpretation of the rules. I think they are correct and advice is based on reading and interpreting the licence terms and on fair use for both the buyer and the artist/stock company, but I cannot rule out that my interpretation is wrong. I'm not an Adobe employee)