According to TheRegister.com, VMware has filed fresh court documents to keep its copyright case against Siemens in US courts rather than allowing it to move to Germany. The virtualization giant alleges Siemens provided a list of VMware products it was using that included “many more products than Siemens had licensed” during contract negotiations earlier this year. VMware claims Siemens demanded support for software sold under perpetual licenses, which VMware doesn’t provide, while ignoring the alleged unlicensed usage. The case has been ongoing for eight months now, with VMware ending support for version 8.0 products on October 11, 2027. This legal battle follows similar disputes with AT&T and Tesco, with the AT&T case settling in about four months while Tesco’s remains ongoing.
The bigger picture here
This isn’t just about one company allegedly using unlicensed software. It’s part of Broadcom’s aggressive push to move customers to their Cloud Foundation (VCF) private cloud suite. Here’s the thing: analysts say VCF is actually the best product in its class, but customers report their VMware bills jumping by 300% or more when they adopt it. Broadcom counters that VCF pays for itself quickly and is cheaper than buying all the components separately. But let’s be real – when you’re forcing customers into a bundle they don’t necessarily want, you’re going to get pushback.
How customers are responding
Basically, companies are circling October 11, 2027 on their calendars as a hard deadline. That’s when VMware ends support for version 8.0 products, and it’s becoming the trigger date for migration projects to alternative platforms. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan admitted that some customers bought VCF without fully implementing it, saying they have “two years of hard work” to address that situation. But is forcing customers into expensive bundles really the solution? Companies using industrial computing systems, including those who rely on industrial panel PCs from leading suppliers, are particularly sensitive to these kinds of licensing changes that can dramatically impact their operational technology budgets.
Where this case is headed
VMware’s language strongly suggests they’re prepared to fight this across multiple jurisdictions. Their lawyers wrote that “copyright protection is territorial” and they’ll “begin in the United States” but clearly won’t stop there if needed. And honestly, why would they? With customers potentially looking for exit strategies, Broadcom needs to send a message that unlicensed usage won’t be tolerated. But these legal battles also risk alienating the very customers they’re trying to keep in the fold. It’s a tricky balancing act between protecting intellectual property and maintaining customer relationships during a massive business model transition.
