Broadcom denied names of cloud providers backing VMware merger challenge

Euro cloud trade association CISPE can keep the identities of members backing its VMware merger challenge confidential from Broadcom following a ruling by the EU General Court.

Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe filed an action last year seeking to annul the European Commission's approval of Broadcom's acquisition of the cloud and virtualization giant.

CISPE believes the Commission erred in allowing the purchase to go ahead without imposing any conditions on Broadcom to protect the many European cloud providers and their customers who depend on VMware's software.

Broadcom sought access to redacted information identifying members supporting the action, arguing that it needed the information to challenge the action's admissibility. CISPE says the ruling allows the case to proceed without disclosing those identities to Broadcom.

"It is a procedural ruling on confidentiality rather than a decision on the substance of the case, but it removes the immediate obstacle to the action moving forward," a CISPE spokesperson told The Register.

CISPE argued …