Java binary licensing

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+4 Q:

Java binary licensing

Can we include java JRE binaries (binaries itself, not installer) into our software distribution package? Can we do it for free?

This software is proprietary closed-source secure client for russian gaming site (SaaS). It is commercial site, but client was created by community, without any support of site owners - so, we must use only free solutions. Bundling JRE into this client will be very good for casual Windows users that cannot install JRE or don't know English.

+1 A:

Read the Sun licenses. And if they are not crystal clear, ask your company's IP lawyers. If your company cannot afford lawyers, it should not be in the commercial software business.

I think that this is the relevant license.

Stephen C 2010-06-28 10:05:09

I think, gaming community is not company at all, so we have a lot of students and gamers, not lawyers :) And it's definitely not in "software business".

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-28 10:12:59

There are, you know, probably a hundred thousand or more independent developers out there who would disagree with this one. You shouldn't need a staff of lawyers to release code you wrote simply because it's based on a JVM.

Dean J 2010-06-28 14:08:57

Pretty much any business occasionally requires/benefits from consultation with a lawyer, if your messing about with distributing someone else's software that's probably one of those times.

Angelo Genovese 2010-06-28 14:23:29

@Oleg - well it up to you / your community whether you talk to a lawyer. But if you *need* a lawyer to help you understand the license and you cannot afford to, then perhaps you should change your software distribution plans. Consider the consequence of getting it wrong.

Stephen C 2010-06-28 21:58:48

@Dean J - so ... you would recommend that *someone who did not understand the Sun / Oracle binary license* should just take the risk?

Stephen C 2010-06-28 22:03:59

@Stephen C, thank you for your criticism :) I spoke with lawyer (my former classmate) a few minutes ago: he said that it possible to bundle JRE. Also, relevant license is in README file in JRE for Windows.

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-29 10:22:43

@Stephen C: Yes. If it's working for tons, and tons, and tons of other people, I generally think it's a pretty safe bet to go ahead and do it. Or did you read line-for-line the terms and conditions on your last car, or the agreement you accepted when you opened a new CD?

Dean J 2010-06-29 19:41:08

@Dean J - I certainly skim read them for anything out of the ordinary. But then >>>I<<< am NOT contemplating doing something that I think might violating such a contract / license agreement. So that's a bad analogy, IMO.

Stephen C 2010-06-29 22:21:30

+1 A:

I'd think the answer is probably in this document ... somewhere - from a quick glance, it looks like might be OK.

However, I am not a lawyer, and especially not your lawyer, so take this as an opinion of a random person on the Internet (as the question is more law-related than programming-related).

Piskvor 2010-06-28 10:05:12

Thank you!I read this doc, and I don't understand: it is about JRE installer or executables (java.exe, javaw, etc) itself?

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-28 10:17:03

I'd say it's about the executables and libraries, not (primarily) about the installer.

Piskvor 2010-06-28 12:43:42

read SUPPLEMENTAL LICENSE TERMS, part B. It says if you do note modify the JRE and use it only for running your program, then you can use it.

tulskiy 2010-06-28 13:49:12

+1 A:

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/5000055100.xml

Can I bundle the Java Runtime Environment along with my application?

Yes, you can bundle the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) provided that you abide by the terms and conditions of the JRE binary code license.

tim_yates 2010-06-28 10:16:11

I read this too. Very strange question. What is "Java Runtime Environment" in this question? It can be anything that author hallucinates about it. I want to bundle entire JRE directory tree, not installer.

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-28 10:20:13

If you are not sure about Sun/Oracle's license, you can try to build OpenJDK and distribute those binaries. It's GPLv2 and it allows distribution in binary form. And OpenJDK 6 is fully compatible with Sun JDK 6. Just make sure that you build it on a 32-bit machine and test a lot :)

PS. Use this method as a last resort, 'cause building OpenJDK on Windows may be painful.

tulskiy 2010-06-28 14:04:30

Good solution. Sorry, not enough rep to vote up.

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-29 10:24:46

+1 A:

Relevant license is in README file for Windows, that is located in JRE root dir. And yes, according to this license we can include JRE files in our package (and remove some JRE files from this package too, optional files described here too).

Oleg Chiruhin 2010-06-29 10:28:40

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