Friday, 31 August 2007

SAP, Oracle Face Off

German business software maker SAP has asked courts for a prompt resolution of its dispute with rival Oracle that has sued SAP over alleged theft of programme code....

German business software maker SAP has asked courts for a prompt resolution of its dispute with rival Oracle that has sued SAP over alleged theft of programme code.

In a joint statement filed with a US District Court, SAP said it favours a mediation of an active or retired judge to solve the case "within the next few months. "

"Prompt resolution of this case is in the best interests of all concerned," SAP said in its statement. SAP is based in the German city of Waldorff and fights with Oracle in the business software space and is the world’s largest maker of business software.

Business rivalry apart, on March 22, Oracle filed a lawsuit alleging employees of SAP’s US unit TomorrowNow hacked into its website and stole software codes on a "grand scale."

SAP later admitted that it had made "inappropriate" downloads of Oracle's support documents. SAP denied it had access to Oracle's intellectual property.

"Oracle's statement of 'facts' is dramatic but inaccurate," SAP said in the court statement. "It ignores that TomorrowNow, on behalf of its customers, had a right to access Oracle's Customer Connection Web site and to download support materials for the customers.”