SAP to Appeal $306 Million Judgment in Oracle Lawsuit

SAP AG (SAP) filed a notice in court that it will appeal a judgment 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 Aug. 3 in an e-mail that it would ask the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco to reinstate the jury verdict.

The case is Oracle Corp. (ORCL) v. SAP AG, 07-1658, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (Oakland).

To contact the reporter on this story: Karen Gullo in San Francisco at kgullo@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net