Is it a sin to use a crack in order to use my software?

[Presbyterian Continuist]

It doesn't matter that you bought a version of the software legally, because it's the product key that's really at the root of it.

It's no different to you buying a Kindle book and then publishing it online for others.

Return it to eBay saying that the product code had been used and therefore the product is falsely advertised.

This is not a kindle book being published on line for others. This is genuine software with the box and product key, and he bought it for his own use and not for pirated copies to be sold to others. You are comparing apples with oranges here.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

No, because Adobe didn't sell it. That software had long, long before already been pulled from their authorized channels. It's not their fault if someone purchases an item from an unauthorized seller. They aren't obligated to service that.

People who had purchased the software from an authorized seller, and had registered it with Adobe, can still get it activated (for instance, if they move it to a new computer) through customer service.

Acquiring intellectual property by unauthorized means is an infringement of federal--and even international--copyright law. Romans 13 applies for Christians.

If the OP has destroyed his copy of legitimately purchased software and can no longer use it, on the basis of your advice, and what he did to get it going was not theft at all, then would you be prepared to compensate him the $90 he paid for it, if it turns out that you have given him wrong advice?

 

[RDKirk]

But he bought the software legitimately and has a genuine serial number issued by Adobe.

No, he did not. He did not buy it from an Adobe authorized seller, so it was not a legitimate purchase, any more than buying a Rolex from a street dealer is legitimate, because Rolex is only legitimately sold by authorized dealers as well.

And when one compares the difference in price, that should be obvious.

 

[RDKirk]

If the OP has destroyed his copy of legitimately purchased software and can no longer use it, on the basis of your advice, and what he did to get it going was not theft at all, then would you be prepared to compensate him the $90 he paid for it, if it turns out that you have given him wrong advice?

Are you saying that Adobe advised him to buy the software from an eBay seller? It was not a legitimate purchase. Period.

It was not a legitimate purchase. The only way to buy Adobe software is through authorized dealers (now, only online through Adobe).

Get that through your head. There is no other way to legitimately purchase Adobe software.

 

[Nithavela]

No, he did not. He did not buy it from an Adobe authorized seller, so it was not a legitimate purchase, any more than buying a Rolex from a street dealer is legitimate, because Rolex is only legitimately sold by authorized dealers as well.

And when one compares the difference in price, that should be obvious.

This is nonsense. If someone offers me a genuine (!) Rolex on the street for fifty dollars and I give that person fifty dollars and receive the Rolex, I might have supported that persons drug or gambling addiction, but I certainly havent stolen from Rolex.

The idea that you can only buy items from "authorized dealers" and that every other trade with those items is taking money out of the producers pockets is at the heart of todays throwaway society.

 

[Kylie]

This is nonsense. If someone offers me a genuine (!) Rolex on the street for fifty dollars and I give that person fifty dollars and receive the Rolex, I might have supported that persons drug or gambling addiction, but I certainly havent stolen from Rolex.

The idea that you can only buy items from "authorized dealers" and that every other trade with those items is taking money out of the producers pockets is at the heart of todays throwaway society.

But if you buy a Rolex that was made 40 years ago, and Rolex no longer makes the parts required to repair it, will you claim that Rolex is in the wrong because they can't fix it when it breaks?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

No, he did not. He did not buy it from an Adobe authorized seller, so it was not a legitimate purchase, any more than buying a Rolex from a street dealer is legitimate, because Rolex is only legitimately sold by authorized dealers as well.

And when one compares the difference in price, that should be obvious.

What you are saying may apply for an item like a Rolex because of the fake knock-offs that tend to saturate the market. I understand that.

But what you are saying that if someone goes to a yard sale and buys software from an unopened box, he is buying and illegitimate product because it was not purchased from an authorised dealer. Is that right? I don't know.

I bought my Nissan Pulsar from a motor vehicle sales yard that wasn't a Nissan authorised dealer. Does that mean that I shouldn't have bought it?

I really don't think that one size fits all when buying branded products, because it implies that you are saying that church op shops, yard sales, Ebay, etc., are making illegal sales. I know that you are not really saying that, but one can go from the sublime to the ridiculous when trying to convince someone who bought software in its box with product key is accepting an illegitimate sale because it did not come directly from the manufacturer of the software.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Are you saying that Adobe advised him to buy the software from an eBay seller? It was not a legitimate purchase. Period.

It was not a legitimate purchase. The only way to buy Adobe software is through authorized dealers (now, only online through Adobe).

Get that through your head. There is no other way to legitimately purchase Adobe software.

As I said just before, if you apply what you are saying to every branded sold on Ebay, then nearly everything purchased is illegitimate. So, if I buy a Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows 10 from Ebay, both the laptop and Windows 10 is illegitimate because the computer was not purchased directly from the authorised Toshiba agent, and Windows 10 from the local Microsoft dealer. Right?

 

[ozso]

No, he did not. He did not buy it from an Adobe authorized seller, so it was not a legitimate purchase, any more than buying a Rolex from a street dealer is legitimate, because Rolex is only legitimately sold by authorized dealers as well.

And when one compares the difference in price, that should be obvious.

If selling that product was illegal, eBay wouldn't have allowed to be sold through them. It's as simple as that. Therefore his purchase was legal and he was the legal owner.

If the "crack" he used was obtained illegally that's a separate matter. If the crack wasn't obtained illegally, he didn't do anything wrong.

The correct analogy whoud be If he bought a car and the key that came with it didn't start the car, then it's perfectly legal for him to get a key that works or a new ignition, just as long as he didn't obtain the key or ignition illegally.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

If selling that product was illegal, eBay wouldn't have allowed to be sold through them. It's as simple as that. Therefore his purchase was legal and he was the legal owner.

If the "crack" he used was obtained illegally that's a separate matter. If the crack wasn't obtained illegally, he didn't do anything wrong.

The correct analogy whoud be If he bought a car and the key that came with it didn't start the car, then it's perfectly legal for him to get a key that works or a new ignition, just as long as he didn't obtain the key or ignition illegally.

It is interesting that Adobe offers Acrobat Professional 8 as a free download with a special product key supplied. I would not consider it stealing from Adobe by downloading the software and using the product key that they have supplied.

 

[ozso]

It is interesting that Adobe offers Acrobat Professional 8 as a free download with a special product key supplied. I would not consider it stealing from Adobe by downloading the software and using the product key that they have supplied.

If the product was originally purchased from Adobe, then they got their money for it and it doesn't belong to them any longer.

 

[Kylie]

I bought my Nissan Pulsar from a motor vehicle sales yard that wasn't a Nissan authorised dealer. Does that mean that I shouldn't have bought it?

What it means is that if your car needs a particular part to run, and Nissan stops making that part, and your car breaks down, you can't say it's unfair that the part to fix your car doesn't exist anymore.

 

[Nithavela]

But if you buy a Rolex that was made 40 years ago, and Rolex no longer makes the parts required to repair it, will you claim that Rolex is in the wrong because they can't fix it when it breaks?

No, but I will reserve my right to repair that rolex (or have it repaired) to put it back into working order if Rolex doesnt do it but somebody else will.

Just like OP brought the software that he bought into working order after adobe refused to do so for him.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

What it means is that if your car needs a particular part to run, and Nissan stops making that part, and your car breaks down, you can't say it's unfair that the part to fix your car doesn't exist anymore.

I wouldn't accuse Nissan of being unfair. Nor do I think it is unfair for software to have an expiry date where the activation site is withdrawn. In the same way, it is not theft for someone to use a crack to get their legitimately purchased software going.

In relation to the Nissan, I would tour the wrecker sites to find the part.

 

[Nithavela]

I think its pretty bad that the OP has destroyed his legaly purchased software copy because of a vague fear of going to hell, stoked by forum users.

 

[IceJad]

Nope. If you have registered your copy, they can still handle that situation through customer service. But having bought it through an unauthorized seller, it can't be registered.

In software there are 2 kinds of end of lifes. End of Sales where the company officially don't sell the product anymore. End of Support where the company no longer sell and support the product.

If you have hit the End of Support there is no way the company will consider helping you with the offline activation even if you have registered the product prior. They will send you a link to subscribe the newer version of the software.

In cases like End of Support you're on your own. No amount of contacting the customer service will result in anything.

 

[Kylie]

No, but I will reserve my right to repair that rolex (or have it repaired) to put it back into working order if Rolex doesnt do it but somebody else will.

Just like OP brought the software that he bought into working order after adobe refused to do so for him.

However, Rolex has a right to be against that if the part that you are trying to replace is a part that is needed for security.

Think of it like this:

Rolex makes their watches free so you can get one and try it out for a few weeks. But they make their watches so they need a specific part in order to keep working after those few weeks are up. They do this so they can make sure that any watch they provide this part to is in a fit state. After all, they don't want someone to get an old tatty watch that's all rusted, put this part in, and then claim that the Rolex watch they just purchased is a bad product.

So Rolex decides, "We'll make it so that if people buy a watch from us, or from an authorized seller, we'll provide the part they need to keep it working. After all, if it's purchased from us or an authorized seller, we can be pretty sure it was sold in good condition. But if it was purchased from anyone else, we have no way of making sure that the quality is good enough, so we won't provide the part."

And if someone gets a really old watch that doesn't have the part, and asks Rolex to provide the part, Rolex has every right to say, "We haven't made that model of watch for ages. We don't make the part you need anymore, and even if we did, there are no authorized sellers who are selling that watch anymore. So we can't help you out."

And then they'd point at all the new watches that can be purchased which do not have this limitation.

 

[Kylie]

I wouldn't accuse Nissan of being unfair. Nor do I think it is unfair for software to have an expiry date where the activation site is withdrawn. In the same way, it is not theft for someone to use a crack to get their legitimately purchased software going.

In relation to the Nissan, I would tour the wrecker sites to find the part.

That analogy doesn't quite work.

Getting the part you need from a wrecker is not the same thing as cracking the software. The part you get from the wreckers is a legitimate part. Cracking it would be the equivalent of someone reverse engineering the part to create their own version so the car will work. And that would be an infringement of IP laws.

 

[Nithavela]

However, Rolex has a right to be against that if the part that you are trying to replace is a part that is needed for security.

Think of it like this:

Rolex makes their watches free so you can get one and try it out for a few weeks. But they make their watches so they need a specific part in order to keep working after those few weeks are up. They do this so they can make sure that any watch they provide this part to is in a fit state. After all, they don't want someone to get an old tatty watch that's all rusted, put this part in, and then claim that the Rolex watch they just purchased is a bad product.

So Rolex decides, "We'll make it so that if people buy a watch from us, or from an authorized seller, we'll provide the part they need to keep it working. After all, if it's purchased from us or an authorized seller, we can be pretty sure it was sold in good condition. But if it was purchased from anyone else, we have no way of making sure that the quality is good enough, so we won't provide the part."

And if someone gets a really old watch that doesn't have the part, and asks Rolex to provide the part, Rolex has every right to say, "We haven't made that model of watch for ages. We don't make the part you need anymore, and even if we did, there are no authorized sellers who are selling that watch anymore. So we can't help you out."

And then they'd point at all the new watches that can be purchased which do not have this limitation.

I really have to wonder how this story is in any way related to the topic of this thread.

 

[IceJad]

However, Rolex has a right to be against that if the part that you are trying to replace is a part that is needed for security.

Think of it like this:

Rolex makes their watches free so you can get one and try it out for a few weeks. But they make their watches so they need a specific part in order to keep working after those few weeks are up. They do this so they can make sure that any watch they provide this part to is in a fit state. After all, they don't want someone to get an old tatty watch that's all rusted, put this part in, and then claim that the Rolex watch they just purchased is a bad product.

So Rolex decides, "We'll make it so that if people buy a watch from us, or from an authorized seller, we'll provide the part they need to keep it working. After all, if it's purchased from us or an authorized seller, we can be pretty sure it was sold in good condition. But if it was purchased from anyone else, we have no way of making sure that the quality is good enough, so we won't provide the part."

And if someone gets a really old watch that doesn't have the part, and asks Rolex to provide the part, Rolex has every right to say, "We haven't made that model of watch for ages. We don't make the part you need anymore, and even if we did, there are no authorized sellers who are selling that watch anymore. So we can't help you out."

And then they'd point at all the new watches that can be purchased which do not have this limitation.

I think the crucial point is missed here. There is a difference between not buying from an unauthorised reseller and buying it second hand.

Unauthorised reseller do not have the rights to sell a product from the manufacturer. They sell the product as is unused from the manufacturer.

Second hand means that the product is purchased from an authorised reseller which the owner later resell it to another after using the product. It is a fine distinction and there are some gray areas.

But all in all I don't think it is a sin to use software crack on old software even if it purchased off another user. I think of it as just a transfer of ownership. And the new owner should have the right to use any method to activate the software since the company no longer would.