Microsoft will pay Novell $240 million up front in subscription fees to allow the world's largest software maker to use its Linux software. Microsoft will pay an additional $108 million upfront for use of patents, Novell said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
[...]
Microsoft agreed not to sign a similar agreement with any other Linux distributor for three years.
[...]
Under the pact, which will run until at least 2012, Novell will also pay Microsoft at least $40 million over five years for use of Microsoft's patents based on a percentage of its revenue from open-source products.