FreeHand License for Court Case

[FFH Mark]

Our lawsuit has moved into high gear now that the Court has ruled in favor of a trial. As many of you have been alerted by email, your FreeHand and Illustrator serial license #s are needed to prove our membership are valid users and not fictional: http://www.freefreehand.org/court/form.php

Questions and feedback have come in concerning filling out the online form. Here are some answers:

I am trying to fill in the form but I do not have details for price paid or date of purchase or where I purchased them.
Below are every version of FreeHand made including the year and cost (USD). Do your best to recall your versions bought, what year you purchased, and your license serial # for each version.

2003+ Macromedia FREEHAND MX ($399, upgrade $149, from FH10 $99)
2003 Macromedia STUDIO MX 2004 ($899, Studio MX upgrade $399, other upgrade $499, education $199)
2002 Macromedia STUDIO MX ($899, $799 intro price)
2000 Macromedia STUDIO 10 ($599, $499 intro. price, upgrade $199)
2001 Macromedia FREEHAND 10 ($399, upgrade $129)
2000 Macromedia STUDIO 9 ($499, upgrade $199)
2000 Macromedia FREEHAND 9 ($399, upgrade $149)
1998 Macromedia FREEHAND 8 ($399, upgrade $149)
1996 Macromedia FREEHAND Graphics Studio7 ($499, upgrade $199)
1996 Macromedia FREEHAND 7.0 ($399, upgrade $149)
1996 Macromedia FREEHAND 5.5 (upgrade $149, upgrade $79 from 5.0)
1995-1996 Macromedia FREEHAND 5.0 ($595, upgrade $149)
1994-1995 Aldus FREEHAND 4.0 ($595, upgrade $150)
1992 Aldus FREEHAND 3.1 ($595, free upgrade to 3.0 users)
1991 Aldus FREEHAND 3.0 ($595, upgrade $150)
1988-1989 Aldus FreeHand 2.0 ($495, upgrade $85)
1988 Aldus FREEHAND 1.0 ($495)

Where is my license for FreeHand?
Your personal license Serial Number is in the "About FreeHand" splash graphic, in FreeHand's menu, top left "FreeHand > Info about FreeHand" (see image below)
On a Mac, if you updated to Snow Leopard 10.6, you will have used the Adobe Volume License "fix" that allows FreeHand MX to work. VOLUME LICENSE will be written in place of your personal serial number on the splash screen. If so, look up your serial number on either the FreeHand box or your install CD sleeve.

I’d love to sign the form, but I am seriously bothered by giving out all my serial numbers.
This is understandable to feel doubt, but this step is necessary to prove you are a legitimate user in this class action lawsuit. It is our evidence to the lawyers and will be used for court purposes.

Will Adobe have access to this information?
Your information will be part of thousands of others making up over 6000 members that will be evidence in court. Our lawyers will have access to this information as will Adobe's legal team and the sheer volume of a 100% turnout of filling in this form will be overwhelming evidence.

Does Adobe already have my license serial number and data from Macromedia?
Yes.
As a FreeHand user, Adobe already has your registration information on file from the Macromedia acquisition. Adobe also has your registration information if you are an Illustrator or Creative Suites owner or if you bought a copy of FreeHand MX directly from Adobe. We are asking you for this same information for the court.

What if I don't know or can't answer all the questions?
Do the best you can to get your license(s) and history of FreeHand. If you use a purchased Illustrator, add what you know of that. For many of us, we bought the Creative Suites so that information was used. If you regularly use any non-professional vector apps or open source (Inkscape), you can add those.

Should I be concerned about security of giving out my serial number(s) for ANY program I own?
Vector software is being asked for by the court beyond FreeHand and Illustrator. These additional programs show your level of experience and range of understanding vector illustration software. Use your level of comfort with listing those additional vector software.

I have stopped using Adobe products because of the practices of the company. Why should I contribute to anything having to do with that company!
The injustice you feel is at the very core of what this organization represents. We are in court to show the injustice toward FreeHand from Adobe deliberately removing it from competition. By contributing your information, you provide valid evidence towards the injustice you feel. You are active in the cause!

What if I bought my Freehand secondhand (used) from someone else?
If another person transferred their license of FreeHand over to you than you can still register their license serial number but write from whom it was bought. Many users have transferred their FreeHand license to another as they have upgraded or moved to another vector application.

I'm an Illustrator/CorelDraw user now. I have moved on and I'm happy with what I have. Why should I register for FreeHand?
Many FreeHand users are now working in Illustrator/CorelDraw either because they need both in their jobs or because they felt FreeHand was lost forever. We at Free FreeHand certainly work in both. If FreeHand were to come back fully updated to run on the latest operating systems, all bugs fixed, and development for new features underway, would you consider FreeHand again? If so, you need to register. Are there features in FreeHand MX that you miss? Do you have old files still in FreeHand format? Were you faster in FreeHand than you are in your present software? If so, you need to register. Don't think in terms of the FreeHand developed in 2004 but of a new FreeHand developed in 2012 onward. Please register.

NEW I am not a FreeHand user but support your cause because our company’s designer uses FreeHand for our advertising. Do I need to register on your poll?
Yes, you can register but in place of the FreeHand license #, tell us your reason for supporting us and being a member.

NEW How important it is to list with perfect accuracy the prices paid and the names of outlets we purchased, and precisely when?
If you no longer have record of your earliest FreeHand purchases beyond a serial license number, there is a list of the years, versions, and retail prices to refer to in the first question, above. The outlet/store you bought from may be more difficult, especially if it is no longer in business. If you can't recall, leave that blank.

NEW What about versions of Freehand that were not specifically paid by me personally; should those be included on the list -- even if I was responsible for the purchase?
The name registered with the purchased version is what is important, not the person or company that bought this for you. For example, if you were given FreeHand as a gift paid for by someone else, your name is needed.

[citrus]

Done

However, we doubt there will be many people/studios who still have a complete log of purchase dates, price, store, etc. so hope enough people respond.

[cyclopsdx]

Completed as much detail as I could and submitted. Yes, it's a little laborious, but it's the only way we can prove we are true FH users to both Adobe and the courts. Personally, I don't want to give Adobe any grounds to dismiss us or our case, so I'm hoping all users that have subscribed to this campaign will spend the 15-30 minutes it should take getting this information together. After all, what's 30 minutes of our time compared to years of potential FH usage left for all of us?

Although, just the fact that we're having to trawl through our software archives to dig up serial numbers and discs from years ago shows their complete and utter neglect for the application.

[MARK FRASER]

Hello Mark... hope all is well!
great news about the latest developments

for some reason I have not received anything via email.
could you do me a huge favour and send me the link to the form.
I will complete on receipt.

many thanks,

mark

[FFH Mark]

Hi Mark, thanks for pointing this out.

We have about 200+ email addresses from members that are dead links. These members are no longer getting any newsletters or informative announcements over the past year(s). If you haven't received mail from FFH.org in the last year, you likely signed up with an email address you no longer use or was temporary.
Email us at: info@freefreehand.org and get your membership reinstated.

The online form is here: http://www.freefreehand.org/court/form.php

[MARK FRASER]

Thanks for the link Mark...

but, just to let you know I have always used the same email address as the one I am using now for my ffh account. bit puzzled as to why I have slipped through the net..

I will email you again asap to see if I can resolve why I'm not receiving emails.

thanks again mark,

mark

[MARK FRASER]

Thanks again for the link to the form Mark.

Filled it in to the best of my knowledge.... well, at least I had my FHMX serial handy!
hope that's enough...

let's just hope everyone else knows about this form and how important it is to fill it in.
the future depends on it!

cheers,

mark f

[Snaptophobic]

Filled in, with serials going right back to FH8.

Sadly, I can't locate the invoices for the purchases, but I guessed a rough figure.

Fingers crossed this does some good.

[JackPng]

Hi FreeHand User,
When I received the email that the only way forward for our case to be heard is to get to the real information. The request for the information became something very sensitive at first. I did asked and inquired about the legitimate of the whole matter and decided that if we really want FreeHand back then we need something solid. What can be more solid than your Full Name, your Registered Software with the key code, the money you paid for them.
When that was clear to me, I spend about 2 to 3 days looking and digging up all those software that was put aside.
Submitted everything I could find and every bit of information I could gather.
If you LOVE FreeHand and want it back, please do the same.
FreeHand need your help.
Remember, when you save FreeHand, you also save yourself.
Let's finish this fight.
Thank you guys

[jage]

In trying to go legit myself, I inquired about a license with Adobe- but Adobe won't upgrade my existing licenses(FH4 and FH7). Instead, I purchased an MX serial on craigslist. While I have every reason to believe it is totally valid, I'm not going to go out of my way to submit it for verification to Adobe.

I'm sorry but I just can't see this as anything but a move on their part to cull illegitimate licenses. If the court really needed to know who USES the software, the serial numbers would not be an issue or amnesty would be provided.

In addition Adobe has ALL the licensing over all time, not just members of FreeFreeHand.org- are they being required to provide that? Seems to me that would show a better picture of the value and use of the software over time. Instead they are asking a bunch of random people to verify their existing serials, which as stated doesn't necessarily reflect their actual use of the product- or more importantly if they would BUY an updated/upgraded license.

Just my thoughts. If there is amnesty I will gladly register all three of my licenses, otherwise I don't want to hurt the cause.