VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom

-



Broadcom has been sending cease-and-desist letters to owners of VMware perpetual licenses with expired support contracts, Ars Technica has confirmed.

Following its November 2023 acquisition of VMware, Broadcom ended VMware perpetual license sales. Users with perpetual licenses can still use the software they bought, but they are unable to renew support services unless they had a pre-existing contract enabling them to do so. The controversial move aims to push VMware users to buy subscriptions to VMware products bundled such that associated costs have increased by 300 percent or, in some cases, more.

Some customers have opted to continue using VMware unsupported, often as they research alternatives, such as VMware rivals or devirtualization.

Over the past weeks, some users running VMware unsupported have reported receiving cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom informing them that their contract with VMware and, thus, their right to receive support services, has expired. The letter [PDF], reviewed by Ars Technica and signed by Broadcom managing director Michael Brown, tells users that they are to stop using any maintenance releases/updates, minor releases, major releases/upgrades extensions, enhancements, patches, bug fixes, or security patches, save for zero-day security patches, issued since their support contract ended.

The letter tells users that the implementation of any such updates “past the Expiration Date must be immediately removed/deinstalled,” adding:

Any such use of Support past the Expiration Date constitutes a material breach of the Agreement with VMware and an infringement of VMware’s intellectual property rights, potentially resulting in claims for enhanced damages and attorneys’ fees.

Some customers of Members IT Group, a managed services provider (MSP) in Canada, have received this letter, despite not receiving VMware updates since their support contracts expired, CTO Dean Colpitts told Ars. One customer, he said, received a letter six days after their support contract expired.

Similarly, users online have reported receiving cease-and-desist letters even though they haven’t issued updates since losing VMware support. One user on Spiceworks’ community forum reported receiving such a letter even though they migrated off of VMware and to Proxmox.



Source link

Latest news

Get the Action Camera You Deserve This Prime Day

The Insta360 X4 is a great deal at this price. Even at full price, it's our favorite budget...

Runway co-founder Alejandro Matamala Ortiz takes the AI stage at Disrupt 2025

Tech Zone Daily Disrupt 2025 is the epicenter where 10,000+ startup and VC leaders gather to explore the...

Learn how to raise a seed round from top VCs at Disrupt 2025

Tech Zone Daily Disrupt 2025 returns to Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27–29, convening more than...

Skateboards and Livestreams: DHS Tells Police That Common Protest Activities Are ‘Violent Tactics’

DHS’s risk-based approach reflects a broader shift in US law enforcement shaped by post-9/11 security priorities—one that elevates...

The Best WIRED-Approved Vacuums on Sale for Prime Day

Cleaning isn't just for spring, and these Amazon Prime Day vacuum deals are ones you can't miss if...

Coffee! Coffee Now! Get Your Caffeine Fix With These Prime Day Deals

What’s more WIRED than coffee? Before you plug into the matrix, you need your coffee fix. We know...

Must read

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you