Oracle Java police start knocking on Fortune 200's doors for first time
Oracle has started to dispatch Java audit letters to Fortune 200 companies for the first time, according to one licensing expert.
Big Red announced a new licensing regime for the popular programming language and development environment in January 2023. It said Java SE Universal Subscription would offer customers "a simple, low-cost monthly subscription that includes Java SE Licensing and Support for use on Desktops, Servers or Cloud deployments."
But industry experts have pointed out that businesses with limited Java use would have to license the software per employee under the latest model, a dramatic shift from the one previously offered by Oracle. Gartner estimated the per-employee subscription model to be two to five times more expensive than the legacy version.
While smaller companies with as few as a hundred employees had received Oracle audit letters asking them to clarify their Java licensing position, it had so far held off quizzing the largest companies. But that has changed in recent months, according to Craig Guarente, founder and CEO of Palisade Compliance, an independent Oracle licensing advisory company.
