SAP Admits Infringement In Oracle Case

An attorney for SAP on Thursday wrote to U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton pointing to media coverage of recent developments in the case as the reason for the shift in its strategy.

In a dramatic turnaround, SAP has admitted contributory liability in a case brought by Oracle for copyright infringement.

The German software company said it will no longer contest Oracle's allegations involving its discontinued unit, TomorrowNow.

An attorney for SAP on Thursday wrote to U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton pointing to media coverage of recent developments in the case as the reason for the shift in its strategy.

"Oracle plainly intends to use weeks of trial to harass its competitors, whether they are parties to the case or not," wrote attorney Tharan Gregory Lanier. By dropping its opposition to the claim, SAP is trying to prevent Oracle from turning the "upcoming trial into a media circus, focused not on the issues actually in dispute but on the obsession of Oracle and its founder, Larry Ellison, with Hewlett-Packard and whoever may be its CEO," he added, according to a WSJ article.

InformationWeek's Fritz Nelson tells us the full story.

Melanie Rodier has worked as a print and broadcast journalist for over 10 years, covering business and finance, general news, and film trade news. Prior to joining Wall Street & Technology in April 2007, Melanie lived in Paris, where she worked for the International Herald ... View Full Bio