Broadcom sends cease-and-desist letters to subscription-less VMware users
Broadcom says it may audit VMware users.
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.
