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Editor’s take: After buying VMware in 2023, Broadcom has wasted no time reshaping the corporate right into a profit-focused operation, usually on the expense of fine buyer relations. The most recent transfer on this contentious technique includes cease-and-desist letters despatched to VMware customers, warning that they will not obtain new patches or bug fixes except they proceed paying for official help.
Broadcom desires to push each single VMware buyer “proudly owning” a perpetual license to a brand new subscription-based contract, and is prepared to antagonize your entire VMware userbase to succeed in this purpose. Firms and professionals nonetheless utilizing VMware merchandise have not too long ago began receiving a brand new type of cease-and-desist letter, with Broadcom asking for brand new help contracts and even threatening an energetic “inquiry” into customers’ methods.
The letters are seemingly focusing on VMware clients that acquired a perpetual license earlier than Broadcom digested the virtualization big. Some organizations are threatened as a result of they selected to not convert the earlier license to a subscription, as they’re seemingly on the lookout for different options or do not need to give in to Broadcom unreasonable requests.
The wording utilized by Broadcom in its letters focuses on official help providers, that are not obtainable if a software program product was beforehand bought with a perpetual license. Due to this fact, Broadcom “calls for” that such clients cease putting in new updates to VMware merchandise, together with upkeep releases, minor releases, patches, or safety fixes. The one exception is about zero-day vulnerabilities for vSphere 7.x and eight.x, Broadcom mentioned, and solely when the issues have a CVSS rating higher than or equal to 9.0.
Broadcom now treats patches and bug fixes as a part of its official help providers, successfully forcing firms to pay for the correct to put in updates. Based on the corporate, making use of a patch with out an energetic subscription violates VMware’s software program license and infringes on its mental property – grounds Broadcom seems prepared to pursue in courtroom.
Broadcom has escalated the scenario by claiming the correct to audit clients, aiming to catch anybody putting in official patches on perpetually licensed software program with out an energetic help contract. Critics have dubbed these cease-and-desist letters “nastygrams,” all signed by Mike Brown, who serves as Broadcom’s Managing Director.
Dean Colpitts, CTO of Canadian service supplier Members IT Group, advised Ars Technica some clients received Broadcom’s letter shortly after their help contracts expired. Whereas just a few organizations pushed again with authorized groups, the tactic has unfold confusion inside on-line communities about Broadcom’s motives.
Broadcom has repeatedly proven a willingness to power a subscription mannequin on most VMware customers. The corporate has imposed steep value hikes and brought authorized motion in opposition to main ICT corporations refusing to pay for brand new help licenses.
