Forever 21 gets caught pirating Photoshop, Adobe sues

[Scorpus]

Not everyone can get away with pirating Adobe products, especially when it comes to a major clothing retailer like Forever 21. In a lawsuit from Adobe that was recently filed in a California District Court, the company alleges that Forever 21 pirated 63 instances of Adobe software, including popular products like Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.

Autodesk and Corel, two other companies that specialize in design software, have also joined in on the suit. They too allege that their products, which include tools like 3ds Max and Paint Shop Pro, have been unlawfully copied in violation of their copyrights.

Curiously, the lawsuit mentions that Adobe notified Forever 21 about the piracy of their products, but that they "continued their infringing activities even after being contacted". Adobe, Autodesk and Corel claim that the copyright infringement by Forever 21 has caused the companies to "lose profits in amounts not yet ascertained", so naturally they're seeking compensation.

At this stage it's not clear how Adobe and the other companies discovered that Forever 21 was pirating their products, though they have comprehensively documented each violation. The lawsuit states that copyright infringement was "willful, intentional, and malicious".

Forever 21 is a clothing retailer that operates over 470 retail outlets in the United States, as well as numerous other stores worldwide. The company has previously been accused of stealing the work of other clothing designers, and has been sued more than 50 times for doing so.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59579-forever-21-gets-caught-pirating-photoshop-adobe-sues.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

I'm kinda glad I'm no longer 21.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Sued more than 50 times? They should change the name of the franchise to 'Forever in Hot Water'.

 

[Guest]

Wait, so malls in the US have security guards standing outside of every retail outlet? Or is that just a coincidental photo? I've never seen two security guards watching a retail store, only a single guard in a bank. I feel so sheltered and innocent as a Canadian.

 

[EEatGDL]

Wow, just... wow. Even after being notified, they kept on course. Not even when the previous company my father worked for had economic troubles, piracy was at discussion. They didn't want additional troubles that could make them potentially loose a lot more money. They overcame their bad moment and a potentially big problem was avoided.

 

[treetops]

Wait, so malls in the US have security guards standing outside of every retail outlet? Or is that just a coincidental photo? I've never seen two security guards watching a retail store, only a single guard in a bank. I feel so sheltered and innocent as a Canadian.

Iv never seen a mall cop in front of a store. USA resident here.

 

[Guest]

Adobe is a predatory corporation, with questionable morals and has burned so many bridges it will be extinct in the not too distant future.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Undercover pirates in uniform not guards!

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Wait, so malls in the US have security guards standing outside of every retail outlet? Or is that just a coincidental photo? I've never seen two security guards watching a retail store, only a single guard in a bank. I feel so sheltered and innocent as a Canadian.

lol, no... I think the mall 'cops' just saw a professional photographer setting up the tri-pod and jumped in the photo.

 

[captaincranky]

Wait, so malls in the US have security guards standing outside of every retail outlet? Or is that just a coincidental photo? I've never seen two security guards watching a retail store, only a single guard in a bank. I feel so sheltered and innocent as a Canadian.

The guards were Photoshopped into the photo, hence the lawsuit...

This seems like another instance of people not being willing to submit to Adobe's new subscription business model.

 

[Night Hacker]

Use GIMP, it's free with plenty of tutorials online (youtube). Problem solved.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I'm kinda glad I'm no longer 21.

42 counts twice as much.

 

[cliffordcooley]

That counts me out, I'm 42.5. lol

 

[LNCPapa]

As much as I don't like Adobe and their practices I think they're well within their right to pursue damages especially if they informed Forever 21 prior to doing so.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Iv never seen a mall cop in front of a store. USA resident here.

That counts me out, I'm 42.5. lol

I wish I could remember back to when I was 42. Ah the joys of youth...

 

[Puiu]

Adobe is a predatory corporation, with questionable morals and has burned so many bridges it will be extinct in the not too distant future.

That's not true. since when is it "morally wrong" to uphold the law?
~Adobe notified Forever 21 about the piracy of their products, but that they "continued their infringing activities even after being contacted"~
Also, Adobe has good foothold with their products in many markets. They are here to stay for a very long time.

 

[wastedkill]

Adobe is a predatory corporation, with questionable morals and has burned so many bridges it will be extinct in the not too distant future.

That's not true. since when is it "morally wrong" to uphold the law?
~Adobe notified Forever 21 about the piracy of their products, but that they "continued their infringing activities even after being contacted"~
Also, Adobe has good foothold with their products in many markets. They are here to stay for a very long time.

Adobe broke plenty of laws getting the information about cracked versions of there software from forever 21, next they will so 1.2billion people due to the same violations they made they have always been blackhat.

 

[Steve]

Forever Bay

 

[Puiu]

Adobe broke plenty of laws getting the information about cracked versions of there software from forever 21, next they will so 1.2billion people due to the same violations they made they have always been blackhat.

link or it's just speculation. we're not talking about individuals, it's a lawsuit against another multimillion dollar company.

 

[Guest]

I don't see this very often. Maybe they had a big problem with shoplifting. In the last decade I've noticed most big supermarkets in my area will hire an off duty cop to stand by the door, but that's about it.

 

[Guest]

The pic of guards are from one of the South American stores.. maybe Brazil.. that need guards.

 

[Guest]

To all the people curious about the mall cops. This photo is from India (where I live) and those guards are common in many stores.

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

Meanwhile Do Won Chang sits comfortably on board his megayacht "Equanimity" off the coast of Bora Bora. I wonder if he has free WiFi? Check it out. This guy is my hero.....his story is wonderful.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Check it out. This guy is my hero.....his story is wonderful.

I think I will.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Do-Won-Don-Chang/192685814109582
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2014/04/04/nine-ceos-with-the-worst-reputations/3/

3. Do Won Chang
> Company: Forever 21
> CEO rating: 26%
> Company rating: 2.4
> Years as CEO: 30
> No. of employees: 30,000

Under founder and CEO Do Won Chang’s leadership, Forever 21 employees commented on Glassdoor that they receive minimum wage, often have to work late into the night and get very little time off. Chang has often received attention for his actions over the years. In August, a company memo sent to employees stated that salaries and benefits would be cut, which many suspected was done in order to avoid paying health benefits as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. He also decided to have a reference to a Bible passage, John 3:16, sewn to the bottom of the retailer’s carrying bags, which may not sit well with some of his employees and customers. Former employees on Glassdoor claim that they have been threatened with termination if they called in sick.

 

[Guest]

Use GIMP, it's free with plenty of tutorials online (youtube). Problem solved.

As an amateur artist who used both extensively, I can tell you that GIMP can't do one-tenth of what Photoshop does!