O binário Java JDK é NÃO GPL, é BCL. A Oracle é livre para alterar a licença como quiser. ( FAQ # 8 ) Dito isto, o Oracle cannot renege versões mais antigas do Java lançadas sob a GPL.
Sempre consulte a Licença para obter informações atualizadas. A partir de hoje, a licença declara :
Internal/In-house use: The Java SE
platform binaries (JDK and JRE) are
licensed under Sun's Binary Code
License (BCL) with supplemental terms.
For most developers and end-users, the
binary JDK and binary JRE are all
that's needed to experience the world
of Java technology. USE: The binary
JDK and JRE are available at no fee
from Sun (per terms of the BCL) for
use with desktop personal computers.
JDK or JRE use for embedded devices
and other computing environments may
require a license fee from Sun. Read
more about embedded use of Java SE, or
contact your local Sun office to
obtain a license.
Lembre-se de que você não pode liberar o Java SE em um dispositivo incorporado (pense no Google Android) conforme indicado pelo FAQ.
A origem do Java SDK está disponível sob a licença SCSL e JPL.
Source Code: The JDK source code is
available for researchers and others
interested in exploring the details of
the JDK. Each release has its own
license or set of licenses which
frequently includes the Sun Community
Source License (SCSL) terms. Sun has
recently started offering simplified
access to the JDK source code under
the a new Java Research License (JRL).
Note that in either case (SCSL or
JRL), if you decide to use your
project internally for productive use
or distribute your product to others,
you must sign a commercial agreement
and meet the Java compatibility
requirements. Contact your local Sun
office to obtain an agreement.