[JAFTEM]

I don't think Adobe has actually cared too much whether or not individual customers pirate their software. From what I've heard, piracy has actually helped the popularity of their products so that more companies and schools, who account for the bulk of their revenue, will buy their products en masse.

[jrs99]

it would suck for them if all students started using GIMP, get hired and ask their boss: Can I use GIMP for this? It's absolutely free.

Then you start seeing job postings looking for "GIMP experience required."

[alagappanr]

However the fact that large companies are usually averse anything new would make that difficult.