Is it legal to use product keys found online? (Please Read and Help)(!)?

Question

I was googling around and found some Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Product keys. These keys unlock the full features of the program, and I was wondering if it would be legal to use these keys. There ARE multi-user packages you can purchase so I wonder if that is what it is. Furthermore, what is the punishment for this if it is illegal? How much trouble would one get into?

Answer 1

It is illegal to use these keys, if you already own a legal copy of Dreamweaver CS3, then using these keys in the limits of your EULA would be a gray area, but any other use would also be illegal (AKA you have one copy and you use these keys to activate a second copy)

Typically if your a personal user, you won't get into much trouble and I have never heard of such a case. The worst that can happen to you would probably be the same as what is happening to the people being sued by the RIAA and MPAA.

If you use this on business computers, then heavy fines and confiscation are common among those that have been found, for the business.

Answer 2

This is either a company owned key that someone has posted on the Internet or a key that someone has hacked.
It is very illegal, sort of like finding a set of car keys and driving off in it.
If you are caught using such keys, you can be fined huge amounts of money. The software companies are very aggressive in prosecuting such cases. Their lawyers are on annual retainer, how about yours?

Answer 3

No, it's Piracy.

The consequences of Piracy include hefty fines, prison time and my personal favourite: malware.

There are free open source versions of most popular commercial software, so "Piracy" just doesn't make any sense to me.

Examples include Windows vs Kubuntu, M$-Office vs Open Office, PhotoShop vs GimpShop, WinZIP vs IZArc, Norton vs AVG Free, etc., all free. See some more examples below:

Feel free to post here and ask for the free equivalent of ANY "insert name here" commercial application.