The legality of modding, "modding", and cracking software is still very grey. Arguably intentionally so. Because no company wants to risk a negative ruling and most users aren't dumb enough to go to court with a fortune 500.

If the above user was really talking about just putting a new splash screen on Photoshop 1.5 from 10 years ago (... actually it would probably be closer to 20 or 30 at this point? Damn...)? Sure... but that is also the territory where using gimp or krita or paint.net in production is a much better idea.

But if those "hacks" are to increment versions or allow for plugins made for later versions of photoshop et al to run? That is where you are adding features you never paid for and where you start needing to be ready to cover your ass if you are profiting off of it because now you are "worth" suing.

And... good luck convincing a judge/jury when your argument is anywhere near as shakey as half the justifications for using pirated software in production in this thread are (I especially love the person who apparently feels that it is the company's responsibility to sit down with you and explain the license agreement you are... agreeing to).

Learning a skill or even software? Pirate that shit. There is a reason companies like autodesk have REALLY good "free" versions of their software.

Running a smaller patreon and doing light gig work? You are starting to get into the danger zone but can probably get away with it because "nobody will ever know" so long as you aren't dumb enough to upload the project files.

But once you start working for a "real" company or even reach "small business" levels of youtube? Now you need to actively hide what you are doing because that is the range where some bored person at Company X might look up in the database if you or your company have a license. And for the bigger companies? They might actively be working with Company X to iterate on features for a new release. And... That is also when you have enough money or exposure to be worth getting a C&D and told that you should settle and send them a large sack of cash.

Would you win the lawsuit? I... sincerely doubt it but we are also clearly in fantasy land in this thread and I am not going to bother to try to explain why "But I want it" won't hold up. But... yeah.