Adobe Strikes Back In Flash Scuffle

Adobe isn't taking Apple's assault on Flash lying down. The company's founders released an open letter of their own today—albeit a much shorter and less combative one—and took out ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg reports. “We believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web?” they write. “The answer is: nobody—and everybody, but certainly not a single company.”

Whereas Jobs' letter was lengthy and technical, Adobe's is brief, mentioning the word “Apple” just once, and sticks to general principles. “If companies put content and applications behind walls, some indeed may thrive,” they write, “but their success will come at the expense of the very creativity and innovation that has made the Internet a revolutionary force.” Adobe has also complained to US antitrust authorities about Apple's move to kick Flash off its devices. (More Steve Jobs stories.)