20
South Korea clears Oracle of anti-competitive actions after applications probe
An investigation last year started into the practice to ascertain whether it was using its dominant market position to shut out competitors.
The regulator said on Wednesday that maintenance and software upgrades are essential elements of the total service provided by Oracle, and packaging them together doesn’t hinder competition. Such practice also didn’t result in any increase in costs or decrease in competition, the FTC said.
Oracle was also cleared of any wrongdoing over its practice of demanding a maintenance contract for all the U.S. business’s applications used by its customers. The FTC said such a condition was needed to protect its intellectual property, as upgrades and various patches offered through the arrangements are easily reproduced and used.
There are no comments.