After it launched a formal antitrust probe of the deal in September, the EC issued the statement of objections due to worries about the possible negative effects in the database market.

The European Commission has expressed concerns that businesses may have fewer choices and see higher prices if Oracle acquires Sun, whose MySQL makes the leading open-source database.

According to a filing by Sun Micro with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the EC’s statement is limited to Sun’s open-source MySQL database software and its potential combination with software sold by Oracle.

Oracle responded to the objections in a press release, saying “the Commission’s Statement of Objections reveals a profound misunderstanding of both database competition and open source dynamics.”

“It is well understood by those knowledgeable about open source software that because MySQL is open source, it cannot be controlled by anyone,” the California-based company argued.

In August, the U.S. Department of Justice already approved the deal.

It reiterated Monday that it stands by its earlier assessment that the acquisition is “unlikely to be anticompetitive” because there are a variety of competitors.

The EC’s concerns with the merger may not impact the deal’s timetable; however, the move indicates that the regulator has some serious worries about the deal and thus the authority may possibly ask for divestitures or other remedies as a condition for approval.

One possibility is that Sun may be forced to sell MySQL, which it bought for $1 billion last year.

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/10/content_12424626.htm