[IP] Adobe Says It Uses Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
-----Original Message-----
From: N Sashikumar <sashi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 11:17:26
To:Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc:ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Adobe Says It Uses Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4798-2004Jan9.html
Adobe Says It Uses Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
By Ted Bridis
Associated Press
Saturday, January 10, 2004; Page E03
Adobe Systems Inc. acknowledged yesterday it had added technology to its
popular Photoshop graphics software at the request of government
regulators and bankers to prevent consumers from making copies of the
world's major currencies.
Adobe, the world's leading vendor for graphics software, said the
technology, which generates a warning message when someone tries to make
digital copies of some currencies, "would have minimal impact on honest
customers."
The technology was designed recently by the Central Bank Counterfeit
Deterrence Group, a consortium of 27 central banks in the United States,
Japan, Canada and Europe.
"We sort of knew this would come out eventually," Adobe spokesman Russell
Brady said. "We can't really talk about the technology itself."
Rival graphics software by Taiwan-based Ulead Systems Inc. also blocks
customers from making copies of currency.
Experts said the decision by Adobe represents one of the rare occasions
when the U.S. technology industry has agreed to include third-party
software code into commercial products at the request of government and
finance officials.
Adobe revealed it added the technology after a customer complained in an
online support forum about mysterious behavior by the new $649 "Photoshop
CS" software when opening an image of a $20 bill.
Angry customers have filled Adobe's Internet message boards with
complaints about censorship and concerns over future restrictions on other
types of images, such as copyrighted or adult material.
"This shocks me," said Stephen M. Burns, president of the Photoshop users
group in San Diego. "Artists don't like to be limited in what they can do
with their tools. Let the U.S. government or whoever is involved deal with
this, but don't take the powers of the government and place them into a
commercial software package."
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