April 9, 2024
On January 23, 2023, Oracle announced major changes to the way Java is licensed, with the release of the Java SE Universal Subscription.
With this move, Oracle is no longer offering new Named User Plus or Processor based SE Subscriptions. The new model does not require an organization to count Java users or processors with the licensable software installed (unless you have more than 50,000 processors with Java installed, see below). Instead, Oracle will require a full employee count.
An employee under the Java SE Universal Subscription is defined as:
(i) all of Your full-time, part-time, temporary employees, and
(ii) all of the full-time employees, part-time employees and temporary employees of Your agents, contractors, outsourcers, and consultants that support Your internal business operations.
This is the key update all organizations need to be aware of:
“The quantity of the licenses required is determined by the number of Employees and not just the actual number of employees that use the Programs. For these Java SE Universal Subscription licenses, the licensed quantity purchased must, at a minimum, be equal to the number of Employees as of the effective date of Your order. Under this Employee metric for Java SE Universal Subscription Programs(s), You may only install and/or run the Java SE Universal Subscription Program(s) on up to 50,000 Processors, If Your use exceeds 50,000 Processors, exclusive of Processors installed and/or running on desktop and laptop computers, You must obtain an additional license from Oracle.”
You are no longer required to count users or processors (unless there are more than 50,000) because with a Java SE Universal Subscription, you will be required to license every employee (and contractor, consultant, outsourcer, etc.), if you have any licensable Java installed in your environment.
For a sense of the potential financial implications of this change, see below table from the newly released price list.
In the Java SE Universal Subscription FAQ that was posted alongside this announcement, Oracle states that “customers of the legacy Java SE Subscription products continue to receive all the original benefits and may renew under their existing terms and metrics”, however it is yet to be specified how long that will continue for or if you will be allowed to purchase more licenses under the legacy model to account for any growth in your business. The FAQ only says to “contact sales for assistance” if you need to acquire more subscriptions.
We will continue to provide updates to our customers as more information becomes available. In the meantime, we recommend that organizations review their current Java entitlements and deployments. Please contact your Long View Account Manager or Licensing Specialist if you would like assistance assessing how these changes will impact your business.
Any comments or questions please email [email protected] or contact your Long View Licensing Specialist.
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