Adobe management believes in Karma

[dZeus]

After realising what they've done to the world by offering the horrible buggy slow POS that is Adobe Flash and the exploit-plagued Adobe Reader, they decided that they need to make up some way not to end up with the most horrible fate imaginable....

so they decided that everyone is now entitled to a legal copy of (all?) their CS2-era software including licences:

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html

Enjoy!

[Fat Tone]

Many thanks, I know people who can make use of that.

[dZeus]

note that I've read an announcement by an Adobe representative that the download is only intended for 'current license holders' of CS2 products.

However, they've not removed/protected the download page since placing it (in fact, they removed the need for an Adobe ID to access it) and it's not clear what the legal status is of these downloads. I'd be curious to know if private and/or commercial use of these software packages is legal using the provided license code.
Many people have pointed out that the license terms of the Software that is linked from their download page states that the license is valid if you obtained the product from Adobe (i.e. downloaded it from their website).

Right now it seems that Adobe realised that they made a mistake, and that instead of fixing it, they're being ambiguous about the legal status and seem to be content with the amount of hype this situation has generated.

Sooner or later the definitive legal status of usage by non-CS2 license holders will need to be clarified.

[VJ]

Belgian technology website reported on it:
First article ( http://www.zdnet.be/download/146670/...weg-update-2-/ ) basically mentions it is for free for everybody.
Update 1 states it is due to the fact that they cancelled their license servers, and should be only for existing customers (but Dutch text is a bit fishy - missing words and/or poor grammar)
Update 2 states there is another change to the download page, and that it is only for existing customers. However, it is also stated that according to the Adobe supportforum, chances are small that Adobe will sue people using it.
On the support forum, an Adobe employer writes this, and adds that a statement is being worked on:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4975256#4975256

[TransformX]

In other words, if it's only for Adobe's customers, it means: buy something, get everything!

[VJ]

No... As I see it, you can only use those products for which you have a license... The downloads are just to allow "legal" users to install it now that the activation server has been shut down.

However, some people point out that the EULA of CS2 says that you are allowed to use it "if you obtained the software from Adobe". It doesn't mention purchase or previous license... And downloading from the Adobe website is obtaining it from Adobe...