The European Commission may launch a formal investigation into Oracle’s licensing practices, after reaching a settlement with SAP. According to MLex, the EC is reviewing Oracle’s licensing practices and seeking third-party opinions, but a spokesperson for the EC confirmed that there is currently no official investigation against any company. Oracle has been criticized for its Java licensing and Unlimited License Agreement mechanisms for a long time; its new approach was assessed by Gartner as significantly increasing costs and potentially limiting user choices. In July, the EC accepted SAP’s commitments to cancel reinstallation fees and reduce maintenance costs to address concerns about after-sales competition, and plans to continue monitoring potential monopolistic behavior in the industry.
The European Commission may launch an investigation into Oracle’s licensing practices, after reaching a settlement with SAP. According to MLex, the EC is reviewing Oracle’s licensing practices and seeking third-party opinions, but a spokesperson for the EC confirmed that there is currently no formal investigation against any company. Oracle has long been criticized for its Java licensing and Unlimited License Agreement mechanisms. Its new approach was evaluated by Gartner as significantly increasing costs and potentially restricting user choices. In July, the EC accepted SAP’s commitments to cancel reinstallation fees and reduce maintenance costs to address concerns about competition in the after-sales market, and plans to continue monitoring potential monopolistic practices in the industry.