For context, I want to run a small personal gig (offering stuff on Patreon). Nothing too fancy.
In order to do that, I would need to use the Adobe suite, Windows, some audio and video effects, all requiring a commercial license.
In theory, I start to make money. How would Microsoft and Adobe know that I don’t pay for their software?
If I use some audio effects, how would their owners even be able to tell / find my work? We’re talking about basic sound effect, like rain, door knocks etc.
I’ve always been confused by this
It’s encoded into the file itself which license you have
I don’t know about Adobe but I think it’s true for some software.
My previous employer (~30 person company) got in trouble for a Fusion360 file that was sent to a customer after being edited by an intern’s pirated copy. Employees and interns typically used a different licensed CAD software.
I think the pirated file being opened at a larger company tipped them off, but I don’t know how they ultimately tracked us down.
That being said, I personally wouldn’t want the stress of using pirated software, let alone pirated assets in a professional setting.
Adobe lists it on their support website that serial numbers get put into files and there’s even a little tool to check if your serial number registered properly so you can make sure to claim the rights to your own work.
I definitely wouldn’t want to risk it unless you passed the files through some intermediary programs that stripped that kind of metadata out.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, because this is a real practice
There’s a page on Adobes website about them putting the serial number of your license in files you create. It’s usually not a “we immediately know” type thing, but a “if we find out and check, it’s pretty obvious to us” way. I’m not sure how else people think they would enforce the licenses anyways. It’s not just a licence to use the software, but to use the final product commercially.