Interview: Linda Molnar, Adobe Regional Anti-Piracy Manager

Awareness can help prevent Piracy

"In our Anti-Piracy work, we tailor several approaches such as enforcement, education and enticement to each market. None of these could be effective without the other. Education is extremely important, but unfortunately without enforcement it would lose its impact. As in many cases, we are more effective if we join forces with other organizations that have the same goal"


By MARKO ANDREJIĆ (marko.andrejic@wavemagazine.net)
from Belgrade, SERBIA


"The global software industry suffers a loss of nearly $53 billion in sales annually, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA). In fact, worldwide piracy losses for the software industry are 40 percent higher than movie and recording industry losses combined. This harms local economies and jobs, introduces inferior and potentially virus-ridden software in the market, robs customers of technical support and raises serious legal concerns", explains Linda Molnar, Adobe Regional Anti-Piracy Manager for Adriatics & Black Sea in her exclusive interview with WAVE magazine. She was one of the participants in AmCham IPR conference, and we used this opportunity to ask her about the most pirated Adobe products and its antipiracy strategy, as well as about negative effects of pirated software itself.

- Which Adobe products are "the most interesting" for piracy and how do you explain that?

Adobe Photoshop likely gets the most interest from software pirates as it is one of our best known products and because digital image editing is very popular. Some people do not know that Adobe Photoshop Elements, a photo-editing program designed for consumers, is offered a lower price than Photoshop and can fulfill many editing needs. Also, we recently launched a free service for consumers, Photoshop.com, that enables you to do simple photo editing online.

- What are the negative effects of pirated software?

Buying and using pirated software is risky for corporate and individual users as well. Aside from the legal and ethical consequences of using software for which the developer does not receive compensation, the organization loses some practical benefits and brings itself to risk in terms of compliance which might bring the whole business of a company to risk.

Those who use pirated software - increase the chances of buying software that does not function correctly or may fail completely; lose access to customer support, upgrades, technical documentation, training, and bug fixes; have no warranty to protect their investment; increase their risk of exposure to viruses, spyware, or adware that can destroy (or, worse, publish to criminals) valuable data; may be subject to significant fines for copyright infringement; finally, risk damage to their reputation and good name and, in the case of organizations, negative publicity that could cause irreparable harm to the business.

- Not only users are affected with piracy?

Adobe as a producer is also damaged by piracy. We take pride in our products and constantly work on improving them and developing the powerful working tools for our customers. This work is slowed down by financial losses caused by piracy. Adobe is increasing its efforts against piracy and is determined to protect its products. People need to understand that piracy is stealing someone else's work.

- What are the specific measures and activities that Adobe uses through its anti-piracy strategy?

In our Anti-Piracy work, we tailor several approaches such as enforcement, education and enticement to each market. None of these could be effective without the other. Education is extremely important, but unfortunately without enforcement it would lose its impact. As in many cases, we are more effective if we join forces with other organizations that have the same goal. In terms of enforcement we cooperate with local Trade Associations, BSA and governmental organizations to work as a team against all types of piracy.

- How can we recognize legal, original Adobe software?

In order to protect yourself from software piracy, you need to know how the original software looks like and where to buy it legally. Choosing any other source other than the Adobe Online Store or your local Authorized Adobe Reseller puts you at risk of purchasing pirated software. And just because you pay for the software it doesn't necessarily mean it's legal.

It is important to know that there are two variants of Adobe products shipments: 1) boxes; 2) licenses. Boxes can often be duplicated by pirates and sometimes it's quite difficult to tell at a first glance that the product is counterfeit. If you buy from an illegal auction site, where they show a picture of the original box it is only when the product is shipped that the buyer realizes he/she paid for a counterfeit. Licenses may not be sold used, but can get transferred by contacting Adobe. When you buy from an unverified source you never know what you are buying until it's too late...

- And how does original box look like?

All Adobe products (box shipments) are packaged in a cardboard box with authentic Adobe artwork and text. The box itself is wrapped in shrink wrap plastic. Depending on the product, there will be the following inside the Adobe box: A case with the CD or DVD media. (See pictures); A serial number on the DVD/CD case; User Guide Book or Quick Reference; Registration Card or Information; A EULA End User License Agreement on the media /installer of the soft ware.

All Adobe products (TLP license shipments) consist of: License itself ; CD media suite packed in DVD-box; Jewel-case or cardboard envelope and depending on the needs of the customer as alternative: Electronically Soft ware Delivery (ESD) via Licensing Web Site (LWS) may also serve as a valid license.

- What is the Adobe's anti-piracy strategy for forthcoming period, in the region you are in-charge-of?

We plan a series of programs in the region for the following year but we cannot go into too much detail on our plans. We will continue running special legalization campaigns that will offer great opportunities for companies and end-users to legalize within special promotions. Through this effort, we wish to reach out and give a hand to those who decide to become compliant in time and prevent any unpleasant consequences due to license infringements.

We are determined to increase the level of awareness of the value of Intellectual Property and legal software use. We believe that awareness can help prevent piracy where it has not occurred yet. Promoting best practices, a compliant and ethical attitude in business, is important in our efforts against piracy. We shall also continue our work with BSA and government organizations to develop joined programs meant to inform, educate and enforce as needed in order to lower the piracy level in the region.


(Published: 11.11.2009.)