At the beginning of 2019, the license conditions for Oracle Java have changed. This means that the Oracle Java licenses for educational institutions are to be purchased from now on.

The following software is affected:

• Java 8 from update release 211
• Java 9 and 10 are not affected, due to not being under long-term-support within the license period
• Java 11 and newer

Oracle has merged the Java-Development-Kit (JDK) and Java-Runtime-Environment (JRE) into one product so that both of them fall under the same license policies now.

As the incorrect licensing may cause high fees, the following way of handling Java installation based on Oracle Java is advised:

Avoid using Oracle Java wherever possible

1. No licensing is needed for older Oracle Java versions. Their use is quite risky though as no security updates are installed by Oracle without licensing and no security flaws can be fixed. The risk that the security flaws in the older Java versions can be misused is therefore very high.Define the computers on which Oracle Java is installed and still required. Uninstall Java where it is not required anymore.
2. For Java package versions (Oracle Java installed in another software), please ask the software producer it the software can be used with Java alternatives or if the product is delivered with a valid license.
   We have already inquired this information from the software producers for the products available in the Software Shop. You will find this information here.
   Note! These licenses authorise the Oracle Java use for the respective software only. Other software products on the same computer are not authorised for the use of Oracle Java.
   In case of doubt, please contact the software producer to clarify the licensing of the required Oracle Java version.
3. Installation of alternative products, if the application that uses Java is installed and required.
   OpenJDK is the alternative advised by Oracle. Though incompatibilty is rather seldom, the performance of Java dependent software togehter with OpenJDK should be tested before.
4. If the use of Oracle Java cannot be avoided, the licensing is to be done.Our shop provider offers these as a further software product in the software shop. For those products the rules of the procurement handbook apply. That means that all products that cost more than EUR 500 require a cost comparison and the respective rules of the procurement handbook apply.

The Oracle Java SE license conditions can be found on the web pages of the software producers:

• Oracle announcement
• Oracle Java license conditions
• FAQ Oracle Java SE licensing
• How to check if Oracle Java is installed on your computer

Possible alternatives (the list only serves as a hint for searching for alternatives):

• free OpenJDK
• in addition, there are implementations with free updates (e.g. Amazon Corretto or AdoptOpenJDK)
• moreover, some companies offer OpenJDK installations and support agreements also with software maintenance (e.g. RedHat, Suse)