SUN JDK 1.5 and 6 license changes, and its effects to JBoss

[clemens_xen]

Beginning with JDK 1.5 update 14 and JDK 6 update 4 SUN changed their license texts/files and limited the free use of its JDKs and JREs to certain kinds of applications.

Excerpt from from http://java.sun.com/javase/6/jdk-6u4-license.txt / http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/jre-1_5_0_15-license.txt:

Usage is allowed on:
"General Purpose Desktop
Computers and Servers" means computers, including desktop,
laptop and tablet computers, or servers, used for general
computing functions under end user control (such as but not
specifically limited to email, general purpose Internet
browsing, and office suite productivity tools)."

Excluded are for example:
"The use of Software in systems and solutions that provide
dedicated functionality (other than as mentioned above) or
designed for use in embedded or function-specific software
applications, for example but not limited to: Software
embedded in or bundled with industrial control systems,
wireless mobile telephones, wireless handheld devices,
kiosks, TV/STB, Blu-ray Disc devices, telematics and
network control switching equipment, printers and storage
management systems, and other related systems are excluded
from this definition and not licensed under this
Agreement."

This is not clearly limited to embedded systems (see the license file) but includes also function-specific software applications.
We are using JBoss and older versions of the JREs/JDKs for applications in the Healthcare area (normal server app, no embedded use), and would head for using newer JRE/JDK versions but are now forced to clarify the legal implications of these newer license conditions.

In case of a tight interpretation of these conditions by SUN this might affect also many other JBoss users.
Do you have any experiences with these newer license conditions, or clarifications about its consequences for the commercial use of JBoss applications running on the SUN JREs?

[peterj]

To me function-specific software applications means using the JVM in single-function devices. For example you cannot market a Blu-ray player which uses the JVM running on Linux to run the player. Running an app server, or other applications, on a desktop computer or on a server is not function-specific, but rather general purpose.

But I am not a lawyer. Your best bet would be to ask Sun.

[gdaswani]

Isn't that the same clause the Apache Harmony hates? aka - the Field of Use restriction?

[adrian.brock]

Try: http://developer.redhatmagazine.com/2007/11/20/jboss-seam-running-under-openjdk-icedtea-in-fedora-8/
Its properly open source with no field of use restrictions.