UK unis to cough up to £10M on Java to keep Oracle off their backs
- Reference: 1749814327
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/06/13/jisc_java_oracle/
- Source link:
Jisc, a membership organization that runs procurement for higher and further education establishments in the UK, said it had signed an agreement to purchase the new subscription licenses after consultation with members.
In a procurement notice, it said institutions that use Oracle Java SE are required to purchase subscriptions. "The agreement includes the waiver of historic fees due for any institutions who have used Oracle Java since 2023," [1]the notice said .
[2]
The Java SE Universal Subscription was introduced in January 2023 to an outcry from licensing experts and analysts. It moved licensing of Java from a per-user basis to a per-employee basis. At the time, Oracle said it was "a simple, low-cost monthly subscription that includes Java SE Licensing and Support for use on Desktops, Servers or Cloud deployments."
[3]
[4]
However, licensing advisors said early calculations to help some clients showed that the [5]revamp might increase costs by up to ten times .
Later, [6]analysis from Gartner found the per-employee subscription model to be two to five times more expensive than the legacy model.
[7]
"For large organizations, we expect the increase to be two to five times, depending on the number of employees an organization has," Nitish Tyagi, principal Gartner analyst, said in July 2024. "Please remember, Oracle defines employees as part-time, full-time, temporary, agents, contractors, as in whosoever supports internal business operations has to be licensed as per the new Java Universal SE Subscription model."
Since the introduction of the new Oracle Java licensing model, user organizations have been strongly advised to move off Oracle Java and find open source alternatives for their software development and runtime environments.
A survey of Oracle users found that [8]only one in ten was likely to continue to stay with Oracle Java, in part as a result of the licensing changes.
[9]How Java changed the development landscape entirely as code turns 30
[10]Users advised to review Oracle Java use as Big Red's year end approaches
[11]Oracle JDK 24 appears in rare alignment of version and feature count
[12]Only 1 in 10 Oracle Java users want to stay with Big Red
Users continue to be [13]advised to review their use of Oracle Java after an increase in vendor software audits.
In May, Scott Sellers, CEO of Java advisory and services company Azul, said: "We're definitely seeing an uptick. One of the things that seems to be happening is we're seeing more presence in more and more countries."
[14]
He told The Register that Oracle is "putting specific Java sales teams in country, and then identifying those companies that appear to be downloading and... then going in and requesting to [do] audits. That recipe appears to be playing out truly globally at this point."
Eric Guyer, founding partner at Oracle and SAP advisory and consulting firm Remend, said that few of his clients license Oracle Java, as his company recommends users move off it onto open source alternatives.
The Register asked Jisc why universities and colleges have not moved off Oracle Java and whether the £10 million framework followed an Oracle audit, or a suggestion that Oracle might audit Jisc member organizations.
Caren Milloy, director of licensing, told us via an emailed statement:
"Jisc, working in collaboration with [higher education associations] UCISA, has negotiated an agreement with Oracle Java that provides a tailored offering to UK higher and further education institutions, simplifying licensing and achieving efficiencies for institutions and Oracle. We look forward to sharing more details on this shortly." ®
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[1] https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030963-2025
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aExLFrmg8AEuYzOUtI0DhwAAAsU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aExLFrmg8AEuYzOUtI0DhwAAAsU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aExLFrmg8AEuYzOUtI0DhwAAAsU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/27/oracle_java_licensing_change/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/24/oracle_java_license_terms/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aExLFrmg8AEuYzOUtI0DhwAAAsU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/29/only_one_in_ten_oracle/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/23/30_years_ago_java_arrived/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/09/users_advised_to_review_oracle_java_use/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/18/oracle_jdk_24/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/29/only_one_in_ten_oracle/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/09/users_advised_to_review_oracle_java_use/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aExLFrmg8AEuYzOUtI0DhwAAAsU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Make all students and staff (barring a specific procurement team) sign up to something that says they are individually liable for any Oracle licensing costs that may be incurred if they install Oracle products on any of their devices.
Explicitly declare that said students and staff do not have the right to enter into any contracts or license agreements with Oracle on behalf of the organisation or any of its related institutions, and do not have permission to use Oracle products in the course of their work or studies.
Explicitly inform Oracle that this is contractually enforced and that unless licenses are agreed to in writing by specific named individuals, there is and will be no agreement between Oracle and the organisation or any of its related institutions, and no liability for any licensing.
Then, tell Oracle to fuck off whenever they send a bill. Simples.
"Simples."
Always remember - Oracle have better lawyers and much deeper pockets than you do. If they can eat you for lunch, they will.
What you describe sounds remarkably brave, in the Sir Humphrey Appleby sense.
The minute Oracle even threaten you with court, you get an injunction against them, backed up by your evidence, and get a judge to throw it out.
American megacorp trying it on vs UK educational establishment, who do you think a British judge is going to side with?
I admire your optimism, but I do not share it.
Students don't have to be paid for
Licencing is purely staff only.
Re: Students don't have to be paid for
Employees and the agreement specifically states that “Contractors” refers to Your agents and contractors (including, without limitation, outsourcers).
And the way they've defined things, it's arguable that the get out clause for "personal use" doesn't cover jack shit, as they restrict that to personal computing devices, which they define as a machine only capable of running personal applications. Arguably if a "personal" device is running an enterprise licensed version of, say, Word then that doesn't fit their criteria and suddenly... whammy.
Re: Students don't have to be paid for
If you don't have a contract with them you haven't agreed to those T&Cs.
Re: Students don't have to be paid for
They've thought of that. The act of installation or use counts as agreeing to the contract and being bound by the T&Cs.
Re: Students don't have to be paid for
It may well be, but safer to get them to sign it as well so that if they become staff there's no grey area.
non sequitur
If someone has unlicensed software on their own device then it's entirely their problem. You're off the hook. Or is Oracle going after organisations that offer public WiFi for the infringements of random passers by?
-A.
Re: non sequitur
Don't give them ideas.
There are multiple OpenJDK Java alts out there that not only work perfectly fine, but also support several useful features removed from modern Java releases.
Azul Platform Core
Amazon Corretto
Eclipse Temurin (My personal favorite)
Red Hat OpenJDK
Oracle is on my permanent sh*t list for past indiscretions, overcharges, mental anguish, pain and suffering. Never again.
Put another way
"The Register asked Jisc why universities and colleges have not moved off Oracle Java..."
'Caren Milloy, director of licensing"...
...gave a hand-wavy response that failed to answer this question.
It would be good to at least know how many institutions had moved or were planning to move and how such a move was costed on a ROI basis.
Re: Put another way
Payroll or other financial software that has to be run in a certified configuration is usually the sticking point. If it has to be certified, and Oracle Java is the only certified config, then you're kind of stuck. At least, short of a much larger scale migration.
Re: Put another way
Be very careful about what you application requirements are before you buy them. Alternatively, have the payroll or whatever run by a legally separate entity with its own handful of employees.
Re: Put another way
It's almost like everyone in HE is too stupid to think of these things. Sigh
"Be careful about application requirements" and (the bit missed out) ensure you have a time machine so that when your enterprise software was procured, prior to the Oracle change, you took account of something that hasn't yet happened. Now most software vendors are moving off Oracle Java, but to avoid the license you need every single ISV to have moved.
Run payroll outsourced? Can't be a subsidiary (they are covered). If it's separate, now you're hit with 20% VAT on your costs. And you'll still have the issue of one member of staff needing Java to run some software that only works on Oracle Java but is the only way to control a £500k microscope. etc.
Suggested question for 1st year CS course exam: "Is Oracle licencing ransomware? Discuss."
Interestingly Co-Pilot from Microsoft says "In summary, while Oracle's Java licensing practices may be seen as aggressive, they do not fit the definition of ransomware. Instead, they reflect a stringent approach to software licensing that can be challenging for some users to navigate."
But ChatGPT says "While not ransomware in the literal sense, Oracle’s strategy is perceived as “monetizing entrapment” — a business tactic that, although legally valid, has a similar effect."
Third party software
Also posting anonymously - f***ing third party installed software all too often carries in the scourge of Larry's yachts with it. No matter how many times we chant OpenJDK, OpenJDK, OpenJDK all too often some procurement process will take place that pulls in Oracle's money-spinning environment by the back door.
Re: Third party software
Make it a condition of employment that the employee may not enter into contracts with the establishment without express authorisation and that attempting to do so is a sacking offence. Do not giev express authorisation for installing Oracle JDK.
And....
Oracle defines employees as part-time, full-time, temporary, agents, contractors,..... their spouses, their children, relatives, gardners, window cleaners, the person that sells them their newspaper in the morning and anyone else they know.
Did we miss anyone out?
Re: And....
The spirits of deceased relatives and pets.
I work in UK HE. The problem we have is that if just one person is using an unlicensed Java product Oracle will send us a bill for everyone in the University to be licensed. With so much BYOD in education there's no way you can guarantee that there is no unauthorised Oracle Java. So we have to pay up.
I would say what I think of Oracle's licensing tactics, but I can't be arsed with the inevitable libel court case.