Adobe has agreed to pay A$4.5 million to settle kickback allegations involving the sale of software to government departments.

The Department of Justice on Thursday said Adobe agreed to the payment, which  resolves False Claims Act allegations for improper payments that violated the Anti-Kickback Act.

Between January 2011 and December 2020, Adobe allegedly made payments to companies with contractual links to the government, which influenced the federal purchase of Adobe software.

Former Adobe managers Alan Dowless, Barbara Evans, and Carrie Whalen made the whistleblower claims..

“We’ve cooperated with the government since it began its investigation in 2018 and there was no determination of liability by the DOJ nor is there an admission of liability by Adobe,” the company said in a statement.

“We value our relationships with the US government and US government customers and are pleased to settle this matter to avoid unnecessary litigation costs.”