Tids said:
Actually - that is not correct. Flash is owned by Adobe - but is made available for use free provided end-user agreement is in effect. Installation and use of Flash assumes opt-in to end-user agreement.
Flash will no longer be available after dec 2020 from Adobe - but anyone who already has it can continue to use it (at their own risk) so long as they continue to abide by the end-user agreement
It's worth understanding what Freeware is (Flash is freeware btw). Google or Wikiepedia it. it is not for example the same thing as "open-source".
The main idea of freeware is to prevent people from trying to charge you for it (the owners wants it to be distributed used by end-users for free). It's doesn't mean that the publisher gives up their proprietary rights to the intellectual property.
Adobe maintain significant rights to the Flash, both in your end user agreement and in distributor agreements (both available on the Adobe website)
For instance. You need a distributor license to distribute or embed Flash in a product. You are also not allowed to tamper, edit the code for yourself either. And you are certainly not allowed to modify the code for your own profit.
So it would not be legal for a company to edit the Flash source code and provide that code as updates and then distribute them to their customers (given Adobe aren't giving out distributor licenses post EoL, for obvious reasons).
I strongly suggest people do their own research rather than take Plarium's / my / or anyone else's word for anything regarding this topic.