Software giant Adobe has just announced Creative Suite 4, upgrades to Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash, Ilustrator etc. It’s a phenomenally complex and capable package, and for a digital online picture library like fotoLibra it’s as crucial as a power supply.

The upgrade costs $599, so cynically I expected the British version to be priced at £599.

Oops — I was wrong. The British version sells for £605.

$599 at today’s exchange rate is £323.50. Take away the VAT and the British version (excluding tax) is priced at £515.

That is 63% more expensive than the US upgrade.

So we in Britain pay £191.50 more for exactly the same product. That’s $354.60.

Why are you ripping us off, Adobe? I cannot think of a single justifiable reason other than corporate greed and the cynical exploitation of a captive market. I think I’d admire the company more if it simply admitted “Because we can,”  but it will hide behind mealy-mouthed clouded obfuscations of market penetration and market forces.

Bollocks.

Why is there only one Monopolies Commission?