This is just an introduction for

This is just an introduction for Microsoft to go out with his head held high. The best seems drowned in the middle of their statement:

"...Microsoft has decided that the Novell support certificates that we distribute to customers will not entitle the recipient to receive from Novell, or any other party, any subscription for support and updates relating to any code licensed under GPLv3..."

So, i agree with dhurst when he says: "Richard Stallman probably ought to win a Nobel prize for the concepts
embodied in the Free Software Foundation's ideals." ( http://lwn.net/Articles/240822/ )

This is hardly a clearing of the

This is hardly a clearing of the air. Rather, it is setting the stage for a battle that may or may not occur. Microsoft is claiming that they are not a party to the GPLv3 even if companies were to redeem certificates they distributed for GPLv3 software. The FSF disagrees with this, believing that this would make Microsoft a co-distributor of GPLv3 software.

Microsoft is now saying that Novell will not distribute GPLv3 software for people with MS-distributed certificates. This would take them out of the scope of GPLv3, but it might contradict the terms of the certificate.

And then eWeek says, "This means that Novell will support those technologies licensed under GPLv3, he said, noting that for those customers who obtain their Linux via a certificate from Microsoft in the future, Novell will provide them with a regular SLES subscription, regardless of the terms of the certificate provided by Microsoft." But that would come back to distributing GPLv3 software in exchange for MS-distributed certificates.

So this is indeed a very controversial and complex issue. If it is ever decided, it will be through a lawsuit.