After SAP settlement, Oracle draws EU antitrust attention over licensing practices

The European Commission is reportedly gathering information on Oracle’s licensing and support practices, raising the possibility of antitrust scrutiny similar to the recent SAP case, though no formal investigation has been opened yet. For CIOs, the business impact is potential leverage in contract renewals, lower support costs, and more flexibility to reduce unused licenses, use third-party support, or shift workloads away from Oracle without punitive pricing. Strategically, IT organizations should treat this as a medium-term market signal rather than immediate relief, using it to reassess Oracle dependency, renewal timing, and exit options across database, Java, ERP, and CRM estates.