Oracle confirms BEA licence changes

Standardising on Oracle's mulit-core processing terms means price rises for some

Oracle has confirmed that BEA customers using multi-core processors can expect licensing fees to rise, as the software maker imposes its own definitions on how these processors are classified.

Earlier this month, Oracle laid out its roadmap for integrating BEA's middleware, with its existing offerings. It has now confirmed that BEA customers will eventually be migrated to its licensing terms.

The two sets of licensing terms were broadly similar, said Andrew Sutherland, senior vice president for middleware at Oracle, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

But the two companies did differ on how to classify multi-core processors. BEA had opted to treat multi-core processors as a single chip. Oracle meanwhile believes that the additional processing power delivered means it is fair to charge more.

Oracle charges a percentage of its per-processor price for each core.

"So far, there hasn't been any kickback," said Sutherland. "We've met customers up and down the country and tried to explain our strategy."