What is the difference between Ubuntu multiverse and partner repositories?

Read here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NMjGHaw4BHQJ:www.charlesleadbeater.net/cms/xstandard/Ubuntu.doc+difference+between+the+multiverse+component+and+the+partner+repository&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Wojox, that document does not mention the partner repository at all. The Partner Programme is not the same as the partner repository. Hence the link doesn't answer my question.

To see witch packages are in partner repo go in synaptic and on the left side you will see source.Click on that and find archive.canonical.com/main and click on it and you will see on the right list of packages.Using same method find all packages in multiverse.

Zvacet, thanks for you response. Yes, I can get a full list of packages in partner and in multiverse. However, I want to understand why some non-free packages are in partner while others are in multiverse. Is there any difference in how they are handled? Why there are two non-free repositories? Hope this clarifies my question.

That's indeed a good question! I'd like to know the answer as well.

Afair,
Multiverse:
non free
licensing requirements
no support
e.g. mp3

C. Partner:
proprietary
closed source
support
e.g. RealMediaPlayer
## the idea is, not to go every time to the website in order to get updates.

Reference:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/Ubuntu
http://www.ubuntu.com/community/ubuntustory/components
http://www.ubuntu.com/partners
http://webapps.ubuntu.com/partners/software/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28operating_system%29#Package_classification_and_support

btw. Reflections on trusting trust
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=358198.358210

Sam, what I understand from your answer is that software from the partner repository is officially supported while software from multiverse is not. That helps.

Non-free, closed source and proprietary are all synonyms. Also, any non-free stuff requires the distributor (Ubuntu in this case) and the user to respect the copyright holder's license and perhaps their patents and trademarks. So it is not clear what is the difference between partner and multiverse in this regard.

Finally, could you please elaborate on why you recalled Ken Thompson's Turing award lecture here?

I've found a page that explains what is the partner repository:
http://www.canonical.com/services/packaging

Non-free isn't necessarily closed source.
Self-explaining side note reflecting the trust from where to download which app.