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

Following its November 2023 acquisition of VMware, Broadcom ended VMware perpetual license sales. Customers with perpetual licenses can nonetheless use the software program they purchased, however they’re unable to resume assist providers unless they had a pre-existing contract enabling them to do so. The controversial transfer goals to push VMware customers to purchase subscriptions to VMware merchandise bundled such that related prices have elevated by 300 percent or, in some circumstances, more.

Some prospects have opted to proceed utilizing VMware unsupported, usually as they research alternatives, akin to VMware rivals or devirtualization.

Over the previous weeks, some customers operating VMware unsupported have reported receiving cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom informing them that their contract with VMware and, thus, their proper to obtain assist providers, has expired. The letter [PDF], reviewed by Ars Technica and signed by Broadcom managing director Michael Brown, tells customers that they’re to cease utilizing any upkeep releases/updates, minor releases, main releases/upgrades extensions, enhancements, patches, bug fixes, or safety patches, save for zero-day safety patches, issued since their assist contract ended.

The letter tells customers that the implementation of any such updates “previous the Expiration Date have to be instantly eliminated/deinstalled,” including:

Any such use of Help previous the Expiration Date constitutes a fabric breach of the Settlement with VMware and an infringement of VMware’s mental property rights, probably leading to claims for enhanced damages and attorneys’ charges.

Some prospects of Members IT Group, a managed providers supplier (MSP) in Canada, have acquired this letter, regardless of not receiving VMware updates since their assist contracts expired, CTO Dean Colpitts informed Ars. One buyer, he stated, acquired a letter six days after their assist contract expired.

Equally, customers on-line have reported receiving cease-and-desist letters regardless that they have not issued updates since shedding VMware assist. One consumer on Spiceworks’ neighborhood discussion board reported receiving such a letter regardless that they migrated off of VMware and to Proxmox.