SAP to appeal judgment in Oracle lawsuit

San Francisco: SAP AG filed a notice in court that it will appeal a judgement against the company in a lawsuit filed by Oracle Corp alleging illegal software downloading.

Oracle, the world’s largest maker of database software, won a $1.3 billion jury verdict against SAP in 2010. After a federal judge reduced the verdict, SAP and Oracle agreed to a judgment calling for SAP to pay at least $306 million if SAP loses the case after all appeals are exhausted.

SAP, the biggest maker of business-management software, was sued by Oracle, its biggest competitor, after the discovery that an SAP software maintenance unit had downloaded and copied Oracle software. Oracle said Walldorf, Germany-based SAP’s aim was to avoid paying license fees and to steal customers.

Oracle, based in Redwood City, California, said on August 3 in an email that it would ask the US Court of Appeals in San Francisco to reinstate the jury verdict.