VMware becomes gold member of Linux Foundation: And what about the GPL?

As we can read in recent news, ,
really is hard to understand and accept.

I wouldn't have any issue if VMware would (prior to joining LF) have
said: Ok, we had some bad policies in the past, but now we fully comply
with the license of the Linux kernel, and we release all
derivative/collective works in source code. This would be a positive
spin: Acknowledge past issues, resolve the issues, become clean and then
publicly underlining your support of Linux by (among other things)
joining the Linux Foundation. I'm not one to hold grudges against
people who accept their past mistakes, fix the presence and then move
on. But no, they haven't fixed any issues.

They are having one of the worst track records in terms of intentional
GPL compliance issues for many years, showing outright disrespect for Linux,
the GPL and ultimately the rights of the Linux developers, not resolving
those issues and at the same time joining the Linux Foundation? What
kind of message sends that?

It sends the following messages:

• you can abuse Linux, the GPL and copyleft while still being accepted
  amidst the Linux Foundation Members




• it means the Linux Foundations has no ethical concerns whatsoever
  about accepting such entities without previously asking them to become
  clean




• it also means that VMware has still not understood that Linux and FOSS
  is about your actions, particularly the kind of choices you make how
  to technically work with the community, and not against it.

So all in all, I think this move has seriously damaged the image of both
entities involved. I wouldn't have expected different of VMware, but I
would have hoped the Linux Foundation had some form of standards as to
which entities they permit amongst their ranks. I guess I was being
overly naive :(

It's a slap in the face of every developer who writes code not because
he gets paid, but because it is rewarding to know that copyleft will
continue to ensure the freedom of related code.

UPDATE (March 8, 2017):

I was mistaken in my original post in that VMware didn't just join,
but was a Linux Foundation member already before, it is "just" their
upgrade from silver to gold that made the news recently. I stand
corrected. Still doesn't make it any better that the are involved
inside LF while engaging in stepping over the lines of license
compliance.

UPDATE2 (March 8, 2017):

As some people pointed out, there is no verdict against VMware. Yes,
that's true. But the mere fact that they rather distribute derivative
works of GPL licensed software and take this to court with an armada
of lawyers (instead of simply complying with the license like everyone
else) is sad enough. By the time there will be a final verdict, the
product is EOL. That's probably their strategy to begin with :/