A California court has ordered SAP AG to pay $1.3 billion to Oracle Corp. for copyright infringement. The award is likely to be the
heftiest in the history of copyright violation suits. Oracle had been pursuing this case for a couple of years now. SAP has expressed its disappointment over the verdict. The company may try to get the award lowered by filing an appeal against the verdict.
Although, SAP has conceded that its subsidiary TomorrowNow had wrongfully accessed millions of Oracle's files. The trial lasted for three weeks and involved drama worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. Oracle was pushing for a testimony from Lee Apotheker, Former SAP chief and current CEO of HP. However, the trial went on without any appearance or testimony from Apotheker. Ellison had publicly accused Apotheker of watch over this "industrial espionage scheme." It is likely that the penalty may be slashed by District Judge. However, the case has already proved to be a big blot on SAP's reputation.