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Adobe Is Deactivating All Venezuelan Accounts To Comply With US Sanctions (theverge.com) 262

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Adobe is shutting down service for users in Venezuela in order to comply with a U.S. executive order issued in August that prohibits trade with the country. The company sent out an email to customers in Venezuela today to let them know their accounts would be deactivated, and posted a support document further explaining the decision. In the document, Adobe explains: "The U.S. Government issued Executive Order 13884, the practical effect of which is to prohibit almost all transactions and services between U.S. companies, entities, and individuals in Venezuela. To remain compliant with this order, Adobe is deactivating all accounts in Venezuela."

Users will have until October 28th to download any content stored in their accounts, and will lose access the next day. To make matters worse, customers won't be able to receive refunds for any purchases or outstanding subscriptions, as Adobe says that the executive order calls for "the cessation of all activity with the entities including no sales, service, support, refunds, credits, etc."

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Adobe Is Deactivating All Venezuelan Accounts To Comply With US Sanctions

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  • FUCK ADOBE (Score:5, Insightful)

    by darkain ( 749283 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @10:39PM (#59281998) Homepage

    fuck adobe and fuck "cloud" based subscription licensing. this shit wouldnt be an issue if we could still purchase photoshop normally.

    • When your "service" is just authenticating an install, I'm not sure it qualifies. The Executive Order is not supposed to take away things, just not provide going forward. I'm curious how a WTO complaint would go on this.

      • Re:FUCK ADOBE (Score:5, Insightful)

        by thesupraman ( 179040 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:29PM (#59282112)

        Especially the 'no refunds' part.

        Could someone please point out what part of the executive order removed companies responsibilities under existing contracts?
        They could perfectly easily process refunds BEFORE their shutdown date, one would think.
        But then, why would they.. I wouldnt want to be their sales people trying to promote their products in that (or other non US) countries in the future..

        • Especially the 'no refunds' part.

          Could someone please point out what part of the executive order removed companies responsibilities under existing contracts?
          They could perfectly easily process refunds BEFORE their shutdown date, one would think.

          It locks down property and forbids trading and other activities of it. Presumably refunds are part of that somehow.

          • They still had the grace period, to which they were technically already doing illegal business (and continue accruing daily profits from Venezuelan subscription) all the way until 28th Oct, so why not refund??

            I think the reason why they say no refund is literally just because they can absolutely get away screwing the Venezuelans. Now that the sanctions kicks in, the Venezuelans have no legal recourse of getting their money back from said USA company. Doesn't matter even if you consider it outright unlawfu

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              by rtb61 ( 674572 )

              Solid proof, you rent your software from a country, you immediately make your digital services a slave to that country, that country no digitally controls your country. A real warning to countries all over the Globe, do not make yourself a slave to the US, do not use their technology, not only does it contain back doors but they will try to extort compliance for any matter no matter how trivial or corrupt, from keeping a corrupt US politicians corrupt children free from investigation to procuring donations

        • by v1 ( 525388 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @07:00AM (#59282874) Homepage Journal

          So they think this means they don't have to provide the services they were paid for, AND they don't have to provide a refund?

          Looks like fraud to me? Taking (and keeping) the money, and not providing the agreed-upon service - isn't that violating a contract?

          And since the order isn't "effective immediately", it's not like they can say they aren't allowed to provide a refund either. This is just plain theft.

      • > I'm curious how a WTO complaint would go on this.

        Venezuela gets to slap high tariffs on imports from the US.

      • It looks like it locks down property if it is in the US, or controlled by people in the US, and cannot even be traded. So that would seem to justify the legality of this and of the no refunds for that matter.

        It only applies to property of Venezuela, or of really rotten people supporting it, or of second derivative of evil people supporting the rotten people, and not general populations. However you couldn't stop one specifically so all get shut off, I'm guessing.

      • You pay a monthly subscription fee to Adobe. That makes this action the cessation of a service rather than the deactivation of software owned by the client. An example of the latter would be deactivating games purchased through Steam.
      • I'm curious how a WTO complaint would go on this.

        Vz already did this and it is stalled. The US doesn't recognize the current ruling government of Vz as proper. Therefore, the US says said govt can not bring a dispute on behalf of Vz.

        Normally this wouldn't be a problem other than delay of processing. You could still get default judgments for a no show. But when the voting majority of the WTO membership agrees with the US, the courts have to wait till that opinion changes.

        Because technically, the WTO doesn't recognize the party bringing the dispute. If it

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by menkhaura ( 103150 )

      ÂVen a Venezuela y mira si quieren Adobe, o simplemente comer! Guerrero de butaca...

    • Have you tried Gimp [gimp.org]? Amazing progress the last couple years.
      • Re:Hmmmmmmmmmm (Score:4, Informative)

        by cayenne8 ( 626475 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @09:40AM (#59283406) Homepage Journal
        Actually, I'd recommend a few other commercial non-Adobe products that really are ready for Prime Time:

        Instead of Lightroom, use On1 RAW. [on1.com]

        Instead of Photoshop, use Affinity Photo [serif.com]

        Instead of Adobe Illustrator, use Affinity Designer [serif.com]

        Instead of Adobe Designer, use Affinity Publisher [serif.com]

        And instead of Adobe Premier and After Effects, use Blackmagic Design's: Davinci Resolve and Fusion [blackmagicdesign.com]

        All of these are very reasonable buy to own licenses and with Resolve, you can get the free version that does about 99% of everything anyone needs unless you are a big movie house with many users at once on a shared system.....

    • Amen, Brother, A-fucking-men!!

  • Sanctions === Embargo Embargo === Act of war What the US is doing is usual Imperialism shit, trying to privatize natural resources of a foreign country for private profit. Venezuelans have every right to resist violently against this, but sadly lack the firepower.
    • Re:Embargo (Score:5, Insightful)

      by BardBollocks ( 1231500 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:32PM (#59282120)

      You get it.

      We have entered an age where the US is throwing around its weight on behalf of the business interests that are really controlling foreign policy and it doesn't seem to give a damn about who finds out, just that they can use their ownership of media to misinform the information challenged.

    • by fred911 ( 83970 )

      ''Venezuelans have every right to resist violently against this, but sadly lack the firepower.''

      And food, representation, security, a currency that's not measured by weight for value and even if it had any value there's no product to buy. They don't give a rat's ass about IP rights when the whole damn countries infrastructure has been in a state of collapse for years.

      It's now a dictatorship that depresses the people. The more than can be done to isolate the current regime and escalate its inevitabl

  • prohibit almost all transactions and services between U.S. companies, entities, and individuals in Venezuela

    That's what the US should've done to Russia. Back in 2008, when Putin invaded Georgia... Instead of tightening Bush's mild sanctions to this level, Obama lifted them completely by 2010 [nytimes.com].

    Four years later Putin invaded Ukraine...

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      You do know the US State Department committed a coup in Ukraine and tried to screw with Russian bases there right? Prompting Russia to move in response to secure their bases?

      Seriously, when you live on an information diet of garbage, the world must seem to be a confusing place.

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by Helge9210 ( 759666 )
        I sense russian propaganda. Either you're russian propaganda bot or you're useful idiot. Former is solved by disconnecting russia from internet. Latter is solved with sticky flammable substances.
        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Rockoon ( 1252108 )

          I sense russian propaganda.

          Was it Russian propaganda when Hillary bragged about it?

    • This won't work with Russia because there is very little trade between USA. Russia's biggest trade partners are EU, China, former Soviet states, and Turkey.

  • SOS (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BlindWillieMcTell ( 5553362 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:03PM (#59282056)

    This is why we must never, ever trust "Software as a Service". Eventually, you will end up with nothing but the memory of having overpaid for your software by a factor of 10. And don't think for a second that the same thing won't happen with hardware. Be a pity if that new car you bought just won't run if you drive it across a border or that phone you sunk $1000 bucks into suddenly bricks when you land in the wrong airport.

    • by zmooc ( 33175 )

      Not true. The problem here is the combination of Software as a Service and Closed Source Software. This problem is virtually non-existent for Open Source Software As A Service.

      On a side note, it obviously does not make sense at all to use SaaS if that software still runs on your computer. That's not SaaS, that's hostage taking.

    • by Kjella ( 173770 )

      Be a pity if that new car you bought just won't run if you drive it across a border or that phone you sunk $1000 bucks into suddenly bricks when you land in the wrong airport.

      Well maybe it wouldn't physically stop to work but it's absolutely possible to build a phone in the EU or China that isn't FCC approved and thus illegal to use in the US. Same with whatever standards there are for roadworthy vehicles.

  • by thesjaakspoiler ( 4782965 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:11PM (#59282074)

    The day we would be on that list would be a blessing.
    No Adobe, no Salesforce, no Facebook....

  • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:15PM (#59282082)
    Were they behind the 9/11 attacks? And don't point to human rights violations, because there's Saudi Arabia right there and they're so much worse it's not even a contest. Meanwhile we're literally complaining about Venezuela having medicine shortages caused by our sanctions...

    Hell, before he got kicked out John Bolton was on Fox News saying the quiet thing out loud about liberating their oil.
    • Hell, before he got kicked out John Bolton was on Fox News saying the quiet thing out loud about liberating their oil.

            Hard to see the value in that, since we are net exporters of oil. Less oil on the market means more money for us, so the last thing you want to do is "liberate their oil".

        Not to mention that the entire concept of War for Oil is a strawman.

      • and pockets the profits from it then there's plenty of value in it.
      • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:57PM (#59282152)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • by mpol ( 719243 )

          What the US wants in the Middle East is chaos. Those countries should never get on their feet, they would be too big of a powerblock. It is better to have some soldiers killed in Iraq and Syria, spend some billions in warfare, and have them sink and stay in chaos. The refugees can go to Europe, that fits right in with the plan. And the War Industrials in the US get to make a lot of money in the meantime.

          About Venezuela, I would think the US just wants a different government, where the US can come in and tak

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        The US is not a net exporter of oil. Oh, you mean it exports those enormous reserves it has? If the price of oil goes up, you pay for that at the pump, so the US tries to keep the price of a barrel down because you need it for everything.

        The US owes its powerful position to the fact that all oil is traded in US dollars. This gives the US the unique position that it can print however much dollars it sees fit, without any consequences because everybody needs USD to buy oil.

        If somebody starts trading oil in so

  • Wow MASSIVE! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by n3r0.m4dski11z ( 447312 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:20PM (#59282092) Homepage Journal

    Absolutely beautiful ammunition to help me dissuade companies from using american cloud services. If i was any of adobes other customers, i would be shitting myself. Suppose trump decides to boycott canada next. Tariffs and sanctions, the highest expression of cancel culture by the worlds greatest troll.

    Hopefully they kept their copy of CS6.

    • by dwywit ( 1109409 )

      I scored big-time when I bought CS5.5. It was after CS6 had been announced, so it came with a copy of CS5.5 (with serial #), a download code and serial # for CS6, *and* a copy and serial # for CS4, "to help with the transition to 64-bit software".

      Three fully-licenced copies of Creative Suite, for the price of one.

      And did I mention my daughter bought it, so I got Education/academic pricing. AUD$450, IIRC.

      And it still meets my needs. CS5.5 on a laptop for field work - capture, etc, and CS6 on the desktop mons

    • I hardly believe this to be the straw that broke the camel's back. If you're on the cloud you're an idiot, full stop.
  • by BardBollocks ( 1231500 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:21PM (#59282094)

    Back to pirated versions of older non-cloud, or better yet, people moving to open source.

    Our software should not be weaponised on behalf of the political machinations of any country.

    • When I lived in Latin America everyone was using pirated Adobe products. Professional engineers want Autocad etc and they aren't going to switch over to some crappy open source alternative when they can easily get the more professional product via piracy.
  • I'm glad and proud to say that I use a pirated edition of CS, and I am even prouder to say that I share it with many people.

    Fuck-you Adobe. Fuck you very much.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      Wow, such a man of principle. You don't support competitors you just use the software you think is the best for free, because of 100 people in Venezuela being shorted a few hundred dollars once.

      • by Cederic ( 9623 )

        Punishing the company for its poor business practices instead of merely ignoring it is a position some people feel is justified.

  • If they were to roll out a patch before they deactivate the account on 28/10, that converts the subscription versions of the software, to permanent versions.

  • by bussdriver ( 620565 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @11:47PM (#59282144)

    Since when does an executive order have the power to order a multinational corp around like this? Is this legal without a law being passed? This isn't a national security / emergency issue.

    Is every corp going to follow the whims of whomever gets into that office?

    Adobe isn't going to challenge this because of their political opinions? or lack of courage? It certainly makes their trust internationally weak. Don't ever depend on Adobe is the message... or any USA corp on the cloud.

    • by Bert64 ( 520050 )

      They're a US corp, while they may have satellite offices in other countries they are all controlled from and subservient to the US head office. That US head office must comply with the demands of the US government.
      The same is true for any other corporation, they must comply with the laws of the jurisdictions in which they operate, and the laws of the jurisdiction in which their parent company is based.
      Don't like it? Then use software which isn't controlled by a corporation that's ultimately controlled by a

    • Since when does an executive order have the power to order a multinational corp around like this?

      Since March 4, 1789.

      Is this legal without a law being passed? This isn't a national security / emergency issue.

      My guess is that a law was passed. There are a lot of laws in which Congress lays down some rules and then allows the executive some room to move on the finer details. Maybe this is a step too far. In that case I expect the courts or legislature to step in to correct this matter.

      Is every corp going to follow the whims of whomever gets into that office?

      Yes. I don't like the executive having so much power either. Since Congress can't be bothered to write good laws they let POTUS run things. If they don't like how he does this then write better laws. But i

      • They need to stop this bullshit and shut up about an impeachment that won't happen, pass laws to scale back his authority, and DO THEIR JOBS.

        I'm sure that the House has the votes right now for your plan. Maybe you should help by calling up Moscow Mitch and telling him to DO HIS JOB.

        • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

          Moscow Mitch is doing his job, which is to be an obstruction -- possibly an insurmountable one.

          What, you think he actually represents us?

    • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      every US corp...
      Its not "whims" as such power was granted/supported/given by the US gov... ie democracy.
  • Why only Adobe? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by scdeimos ( 632778 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @12:05AM (#59282160)

    Office 365 is Software-as-a-Service. Microsoft keeps telling us that Windows 10 is Software-as-a-Service. Is Microsoft going to shut down Office 365 and Windows 10 for everybody in Venezuela?

    This should serve as a warning to anybody using Software-as-a-Service - you only get to use it at the vendor's leisure.

  • Without getting into the underlying political issue, this is a good day for Free Software / Open Source. What else can you trust to be there when you need it?
  • by misnohmer ( 1636461 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @12:22AM (#59282188)

    It perfectly demonstrates an ugly side of buying software as a service, you own nothing, so if there is a fallout with the company or the country,the service provider is in you got nothing to show for your money.

  • Does this executive order means any loans to Venezuela or any company or individuals in Venezuela just disappear into thin air too, like the Adobe subscription - no need to refund or pay them off?

  • Just checked my app publishing accounts with Apple's iTunes Connect and Google Play and both still list Venezuela as available.
    According to the order it took effect back at the beginning of August so why now and why only Adobe?

  • by SuperDre ( 982372 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @12:37AM (#59282224) Homepage
    This just shows how bad cloud packages are, especially hosted by US companies.. a reason why we should have laws about this to make sure those companies have the accounts stored on servers in the specific country..
  • It will finally be the year of Linux on the desktop - at least in Venezuela.

  • So does this mean folks are going full Open Source? Or will they turn to piracy to solve their problems?

  • A graduate student in my research group showed me the 'unofficial official' way of shipping DNA samples overseas. So as to bypass sanctions and what was seen as excessive paperwork, fees and restrictions, droplets of solvated sample were deposited upon a piece of masking tape, which was then used to seal an innocuous letter within a regular envelope. The receiver would already 'know the deal' and would extract the sample from the underside of the tape.

    The PIs directed the activity, but maintained deniabil
  • In Latin America they are all using pirated versions of adobe software anyway. Street vendors sell the dvd on the streets outside a lot of the universities.
  • I subscribe. "Someone" decrees I can't subscribe... Now I have zero function.

    This is FAR better than a SaaS provider screwing up something and taking the service down and spending a day to get it back.

    Death to SaaS!

  • subscriptions (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tom ( 822 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @03:41AM (#59282522) Homepage Journal

    And this, in a nutshell, is why the subscription model of software is flawed. Deeply, ultimately flawed.

    Stallman was right all along [gnu.org].

  • by magusxxx ( 751600 ) <magusxxx_2000NO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @04:50AM (#59282636)

    https://krita.org/en/ [krita.org]

    Krita foundation is located in the Netherlands.

    For those artists who used Photoshop for illustrations.

  • by sad_ ( 7868 ) on Tuesday October 08, 2019 @06:13AM (#59282778) Homepage

    we all know SaaS is a pretty shittu deal, but that appears to be stopping nobody, also software companies are really pushing the SaaS agenda hard while even canceling their normal software versions.

    now imagine a world where everything would be SaaS based, that would give immense power over governments;
    obey or we will shut down access to all our software and your countries economy will come to a grounding halt.

  • I can't believe noone has mentioned the Affinity suite as an excellent replacement for some of Adobe's products. You outright own the software, as apposed to renting it, and it's cheap. I'm really happy to see decent competition for Adobe; opensource GIMP and Inkscape are OK, but a bit rough around the edges.

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