I don't know why it's that fascinating. Lots of people think some amount of copyright is reasonable but that life of the author + 70 years is far too long.
Adobe didn't generate them. Someone uploaded them to their stock photos site.
Nor was their issue that the images were in the style of Ansel Adams, but rather that they used his name. That's not a copyright issue. It's a trademark one.
Exactly, nuance is important. Short term protections are good, but companies shouldn’t be able to keep works from entering public domain for decades on end.