“Sun Microsystems Inc.’s decision not to establish an
across-the-board branding fee for Java 2 Enterprise Edition has set
off a free-for-all among partners seeking to cut deals with the
Java creator.”
“As a result, large Java partners such as IBM, which are not
as reliant on Java branding efforts, are in a cold war with smaller
vendors that depend on Sun’s official stamp of approval to sell
Java-based products….“
“Large Java licensees, such as IBM, of Armonk, N.Y., and BEA
Systems Inc., of San Jose, Calif., have balked at paying any
branding fees, arguing that the J2EE brand does not carry enough
clout with customers to warrant the cost.”