Oracle-Sun DEAL TO BE FILED TO EU IN JULY

Brussels
The Economic Times (Kolkata edition)
Oracle Corp’s plan to buy computer maker Sun Microsystems will be notified to European Union antitrust authorities this month, a source familiar with the deal said on Friday.

Oracle, the world’s No. 3 software maker, announced in April a $7 billion deal to buy Sun, the world’s fourth-largest maker of server computers and also the developer of Java and Solaris software.

“The deal will be notified to the European Commission this month,” the source said.

Oracle failed last month to win fast-track approval from US antitrust regulators, who wanted more information on Java licensing rights. “Information on Java licensing rights will be included in the EU notification,” the source said.

Sun’s Java software is one of the world’s most widely used computer languages. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has said he wants to tweak Java software so that it is easier to use on smartphones and netbook computers.