SAP to pay Oracle $1.3bn damages
SAP has been ordered to pay Oracle $1.3bn (£824m) in damages for software theft, a federal jury decided yesterday after a high-profile trial that captivated Silicon Valley.
The verdict saw gasps from a packed courtroom and hugs and handshakes among Oracle’s legal team. Oracle had sought at least $1.65bn in damages, while Germany’s SAP pegged its exposure at a maximum of $40m. SAP declined immediate comment.
Europe’s top software maker had previously accepted liability for its TomorrowNow subsidiary having wrongfully downloaded millions of Oracle’s files.
The award ended a three-week trial in a US district court and was seen as an important industry test case.
The two companies, which dominate the global market for software that helps businesses run more efficiently, this month began slugging it out in U.S. district court in Oakland, California, to determine the amount of damages.
The three-week trial featured testimony from such top executives as Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison and President Safra Catz. SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott also took the stand and apologized to Oracle for the events surrounding TomorrowNow