Canva Affinity Studio adds arbitration clause: Difference between revisions
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Canva, the company that acquired Serif (parent company of Affinity and its respective graphic editing software) has removed the ability for users to purchase older versions of the Affinity applications; the new software, Affinity Studio, requires users to create or sign into a Canva account, thereby requiring the user's agreement to an arbitration clause among other agreements not present in the retired Serif versions of Affinity applications, Photo, Designer, and Publisher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thacker |first=Tim |date=2025-10-12 |title=Why has Serif stopped selling its Affinity software? |url=https://www.cgchannel.com/2025/10/why-has-serif-stopped-selling-its-affinity-software/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111021039/https://www.cgchannel.com/2025/10/why-has-serif-stopped-selling-its-affinity-software/ |archive-date=11 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-11-02 |website=cgchannel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Oct 2025 |title=Terms of Use |url=https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222212658/https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Canva}}</ref> | [[Canva]], the company that acquired Serif (parent company of Affinity and its respective graphic editing software) has removed the ability for users to purchase older versions of the Affinity applications; the new software, Affinity Studio, requires users to create or sign into a Canva account (see [[Forced account]]), thereby requiring the user's agreement to an arbitration clause among other agreements not present in the retired Serif versions of Affinity applications, Photo, Designer, and Publisher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thacker |first=Tim |date=2025-10-12 |title=Why has Serif stopped selling its Affinity software? |url=https://www.cgchannel.com/2025/10/why-has-serif-stopped-selling-its-affinity-software/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111021039/https://www.cgchannel.com/2025/10/why-has-serif-stopped-selling-its-affinity-software/ |archive-date=11 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-11-02 |website=cgchannel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Oct 2025 |title=Terms of Use |url=https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222212658/https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Canva}}</ref> | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
Serif, a UK based software development company, released the Affinity V2 Universal License in 2022 for their flagship brand Affinity, a professional photo editing, vector illustration and page design software. The cross-platform Universal License bundled Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Publisher 2. Instead of subscription model payments, user access to the Affinity V2 suite could be purchased and installed and activated through Serif and Serif user accounts for a one-time payment.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-25 |title=Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity to Bring Professional Design Tools to Every Organization |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240325965656/en/Canva-Acquires-Design-Platform-Affinity-to-Bring-Professional-Design-Tools-to-Every-Organization |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=BusinessWire |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216022908/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240325965656/en/Canva-Acquires-Design-Platform-Affinity-to-Bring-Professional-Design-Tools-to-Every-Organization |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-09 |title=Press Release - Affinity Version 2 sets new standards in creative software |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-v2-sets-new-standards-in-creative-software/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109150704/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-v2-sets-new-standards-in-creative-software/ |archive-date=2022-11-09 |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Affinity Serif}}</ref> | Serif, a UK based software development company, released the Affinity V2 Universal License in 2022 for their flagship brand Affinity, a professional photo editing, vector illustration and page design software. The cross-platform Universal License bundled Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Publisher 2. Instead of subscription model payments, user access to the Affinity V2 suite could be purchased and installed and activated through Serif and Serif user accounts for a one-time payment.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-25 |title=Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity to Bring Professional Design Tools to Every Organization |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240325965656/en/Canva-Acquires-Design-Platform-Affinity-to-Bring-Professional-Design-Tools-to-Every-Organization |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=BusinessWire |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216022908/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240325965656/en/Canva-Acquires-Design-Platform-Affinity-to-Bring-Professional-Design-Tools-to-Every-Organization |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-09 |title=Press Release - Affinity Version 2 sets new standards in creative software |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-v2-sets-new-standards-in-creative-software/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109150704/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-v2-sets-new-standards-in-creative-software/ |archive-date=2022-11-09 |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Affinity Serif}}</ref> | ||
In 2024, Canva, a drag and drop graphic design template platform, acquired Affinity's parent company, Serif, as part of a series of global serial acquisitions in the stock photo, graphics, and artificial intelligence sectors.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-06 |title=Acquisitions by Canva - List of Canva's Acquisitions |url=https://tracxn.com/d/acquisitions/acquisitions-by-canva/__LHKOZhxQIkd1nKd00xe8ZiSIZ1WlxGLsiY4nuztOWOY#list-of-acquisitions |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Tracxn |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111185309/https://tracxn.com/d/acquisitions/acquisitions-by-canva/__LHKOZhxQIkd1nKd00xe8ZiSIZ1WlxGLsiY4nuztOWOY |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref> In the same year that Serif/Affinity was acquired, Canva also acquired AI image and art generation platform Leonardo AI.<ref name=":12" /> After the acquisition, Affinity and Canva created a fair pricing pledge in which "perpetual license will always be offered" to adopt Affinity users "to scale their workflows using Canva as a platform to share and collaborate on their Affinity assets." The second part of the pledge stated, "Affinity is here to stay."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=The Affinity and Canva Pledge |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002083749/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |archive-date=2025-10-02 |access-date=2025-11-03 |website=Affinity/Serif Press Release}}</ref> | In 2024, [[Canva]], a drag and drop graphic design template platform, acquired Affinity's parent company, Serif, as part of a series of global serial acquisitions in the stock photo, graphics, and artificial intelligence sectors.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-06 |title=Acquisitions by Canva - List of Canva's Acquisitions |url=https://tracxn.com/d/acquisitions/acquisitions-by-canva/__LHKOZhxQIkd1nKd00xe8ZiSIZ1WlxGLsiY4nuztOWOY#list-of-acquisitions |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Tracxn |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111185309/https://tracxn.com/d/acquisitions/acquisitions-by-canva/__LHKOZhxQIkd1nKd00xe8ZiSIZ1WlxGLsiY4nuztOWOY |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref> In the same year that Serif/Affinity was acquired, Canva also acquired AI image and art generation platform Leonardo AI.<ref name=":12" /> After the acquisition, Affinity and Canva created a fair pricing pledge in which "perpetual license will always be offered" to adopt Affinity users "to scale their workflows using Canva as a platform to share and collaborate on their Affinity assets." The second part of the pledge stated, "Affinity is here to stay."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=The Affinity and Canva Pledge |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002083749/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |archive-date=2025-10-02 |access-date=2025-11-03 |website=Affinity/Serif Press Release}}</ref> | ||
==Incident== | ==Incident== | ||
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There's also concern as to whether the older versions of Affinity that provided a perpetual license may some day be revoked.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-03 |title=Revealing the future of Affinity |url=https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/235901-revealing-the-future-of-affinity/ |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Serif / Affinity Forums |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251103042619/https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F235901-revealing-the-future-of-affinity%2F |archive-date=3 Nov 2025}}</ref> The EULA for the V2 Affinity applications indicate that Serif or Serif Licensors could suspend remove, modify, disable, or impose limits on access to Serif Software without notice or liability to the user, further increasing concern over if and when V2 or other Affinity Software may eventually be un-installable or otherwise rendered unusable for existing users. | There's also concern as to whether the older versions of Affinity that provided a perpetual license may some day be revoked.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-03 |title=Revealing the future of Affinity |url=https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/235901-revealing-the-future-of-affinity/ |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=Serif / Affinity Forums |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251103042619/https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F235901-revealing-the-future-of-affinity%2F |archive-date=3 Nov 2025}}</ref> The EULA for the V2 Affinity applications indicate that Serif or Serif Licensors could suspend remove, modify, disable, or impose limits on access to Serif Software without notice or liability to the user, further increasing concern over if and when V2 or other Affinity Software may eventually be un-installable or otherwise rendered unusable for existing users. | ||
==See Also== | |||
*[[Canva]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||