It is said that the only constant is change, which is abundantly clear with the licensing of Oracle Java. Since 2018, we’ve seen four significant modifications to both the license conditions and pricing which have had an impact on enterprises using Java within their organizations.
Initially, we saw the introduction of the Oracle Technology Network License Agreement (OTNLA). Prior to this, everyone considered the Java platform to be free, including maintenance in the form of regular updates. The OTNLA is much more restrictive. Unless you are using the Oracle JDK for personal use, development, testing, Oracle-approved applications, or in the Oracle Cloud, you will need to pay to buy a Java SE Subscription.
When the next LTS version of Java, JDK 17, was released in September 2021, Oracle introduced another significant revision to their license policy – the No Fee Terms and Conditions (NFTC). The NFTC states that you can use the Oracle JDK for developing, testing, prototyping, demonstrating, personal use or internal business operations. However, this comes with a time limit.
LTS releases, such as JDK 17, will receive updates under this license for one year after the release of the subsequent LTS. When JDK 17 was released, the cadence of LTS versions was changed to two years rather than three, translating to a free period of three years for any given LTS release. The subsequent LTS version is JDK 21, which was released in September 2023.
This means that the free period will end in September 2024, less than two months from now. At this point, the license for Oracle JDK 17 will revert to the OTNLA, and users will be faced with a set of choices for their applications.
Source: https://www.infoworld.com/article/3478122/get-ready-for-more-java-licensing-changes.html