Thought this was interesting (so I guess my previous comments about Oracle and others requirement a contract to even access the KB are now going to be directed to Novell as well):

Update on Patch, Service Pack, & Support Knowledgebase Access for Customers

To further encourage more customers to take advantage of the comprehensive benefits a maintenance contract provides, Novell is announcing that as of November 15, 2009, maintenance or subscription authorization will be required to access service packs and patches (excluding stand-alone security patches) for most Novell products. In early 2010, we will extend this initiative to include Technical Information Documents (TIDs) in the Novell Support Knowledgebase for products in the general support phase of the product lifecycle. For details on this policy–as well as a list of products not subject to its provisions–please consult the resources listed below.