EU says it must check that Oracle-Sun takeover won’t hike prices for database software

EU opens probe into Oracle bid for Sun

BRUSSELS — European Union regulators have launched an antitrust probe into U.S. software maker Oracle Corp.’s takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc., saying the deal could mean higher prices and limited choice for database software.

The European Commission now has 90 days — until Jan. 19, 2010 — before it makes a final decision to clear the deal or block it. It often presses companies to make changes that eliminate antitrust worries.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said Thursday that regulators needed to examine the effect of a deal “when the world’s biggest proprietary database company proposes to take over the world’s leading open-source database company.”