Re:Ask HN: What's the worst Oracle can do to OpenJDK?
by PeterisP on Monday September 04, 2017 @11:20AM
(#15168818)
Using the word "Java" in the human naming, branding, advertising material, etc is not required for technical interoperability and follows the usual trademark restrictions. Getting actual interoperability is protected, calling yourself compatible is a bit trickier.
Having a project branded "Magic Java Bean" with a class name com.mycompany.magicbean requires permission from Oracle, but having a project named "My alternative black magic drink SDK" with a classpath com.oracle.jdbc or java.something does not require any licence, if that particular name is required for interoperability.
TCK, despite "compatibility" in it's name, isn't required for compatibility in the legal sense (it's required to demonstrate compatibility, not as an unalienable part of any component that happens to be compatible) so it can be licenced (or not) however Sun/Oracle wishes.
Having a project branded "Magic Java Bean" with a class name com.mycompany.magicbean requires permission from Oracle, but having a project named "My alternative black magic drink SDK" with a classpath com.oracle.jdbc or java.something does not require any licence, if that particular name is required for interoperability.
TCK, despite "compatibility" in it's name, isn't required for compatibility in the legal sense (it's required to demonstrate compatibility, not as an unalienable part of any component that happens to be compatible) so it can be licenced (or not) however Sun/Oracle wishes.