They've turned a blind eye to piracy for years, not taking obvious steps to curb it. It's said to be for the reasons you state. Adobe has a solid track record o

They've turned a blind eye to piracy for years, not taking obvious steps to curb it. It's said to be for the reasons you state. Adobe has a solid track record over decades of knowing when to hold and when to let go, way back to the fonts for their first product, postscript. For flash, they adroitly opened it to foil open alternatives just as they started to get traction. Although the founders are gone, this is a essential issue across their stable of products - a little like J&J or Procter & Gamble or Nestle in this, they've demonstrated they know how to manage their franchises. They will continue to offer a shrink-wrapped version according to the article. Even if this wasn't needed for customers who still want it (perhaps jacking up the price, for offline access, security, privacy), it would be worth keeping just for the reasons you state (for piracy).