Consumeractive
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LEAD CASE
Can Adobe remove features from software I’ve paid for?
Q In 2014, I bought Adobe Lightroom photo-editing software for £71.80, but it recently removed some important features. To access these tools you now have to subscribe, even though they are some of the most important features of the program. Is Adobe allowed to do this?
David Ross
A The short answer is probably yes. When you buy software you’re actually buying a perpetual licence to use it. But you don’t actually own it. This means the developers can remove features unless they haven’t stated this in their terms and conditions, and Adobe’s terms do say this. The only part of the software you own is any disk it came installed on.
It’s possible that a judge may decide a company has acted unfairly by removing tools too soon after releasing the software to the public, and order it to refund customers. But Adobe released the first version of Lightroom in 2007, and we think it can’t be expected to maintain all its features indefinitely. Also, David has been using Lightroom for 10 years, which a judge would probably say means he’s got his money’s worth.
Companies are also allowed to change the availability of features so they require a paid-for subscription – though again, a judge could rule this has happened too soon after a program has been released.