I still use Corel PhotoPaint 8 for most things and it’s closer to two decade old technology. Many of these programs have been churning out new versions for years. IMO, a lot of that has been more creative marketing than adding to or improving the core features that most people use. That’s not to say that they don’t add neat stuff, but I often see maybe one ‘kinda neat’ feature in a long list of yawns. I think one reason they only give you a good discount on upgrading from the last version is that a lot of people would go years before the cumulative changes justified an upgrade. Basically, the only other way they can goose people is by changing the format of things like filters and actions - that, or Apple/Microsoft do it for them. In this case, Windows users are apparently better off.

IANAL so I’ll wait for a few real hammerheads and great whites to opine in the tech press on the legal stuff. As for the ethics (as opposed to the law), for the moment, Adobe has said that you’re not supposed to have this – their incredibly obtuse actions not withstanding. I don’t see the value in mocking anyone with ethical doubts - without regard to what my personal take might be. In fact, I will think less of Adobe, from a broad ethical standpoint, if they say nothing. It would be kind of a chickens__t way to do things in my view.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken