# EU scrutiny of Oracle cloud licensing practices > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/eu-scrutiny-of-oracle-cloud-licensing-practices > Updated: 2026-09-07T08:00:00.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. The European Commission has initiated an inquiry into Oracle’s software licensing practices within cloud environments. Regulators are gathering information to determine if the company’s terms prevent customers from using competing service providers or if they artificially inflate the costs of running software, such as databases, on rival cloud platforms. While no formal antitrust investigation has been launched, the Commission is monitoring potential anticompetitive behavior. This follows a previous settlement involving SAP, which agreed to simplify contract terminations and migrations to avoid fines. In a related market development, a secondary market exists for Oracle perpetual licenses, where companies can purchase software at up to 80% lower than new list prices. Under a 2012 European Court of Justice ruling, the trade of used standard software is legal provided specific conditions are met, such as the license being lawfully acquired within the EU and the seller rendering their own copy unusable. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-07: Oracle software licenses available at 80% discount on secondary market Companies can save up to 80% on Oracle licenses through the secondary market. Legal trade is supported by ECJ rulings, provided a complete chain of evidence for the license transfer is maintained. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/oracle-software-licenses-available-at-80-discount-on-secondary-market ### 2026-09-02: European Commission examines Oracle cloud licensing practices The European Commission is gathering information on Oracle’s cloud software licensing practices to check for anticompetitive behavior, following a recent settlement with SAP. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-commission-examines-oracle-cloud-licensing-practices --- Cite as: EU scrutiny of Oracle cloud licensing practices. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/eu-scrutiny-of-oracle-cloud-licensing-practices