Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison turned up the pressure in an industrial espionage trial Monday by testifying that archenemy SAP AG should have paid $4 billion for licenses to Oracle software.
SAP and Oracle, two of the world’s biggest business-software makers, are fighting over how much SAP should pay to atone for the shady tactics of a now-shuttered software support subsidiary called TomorrowNow.
SAP has already admitted to bad behavior. It acknowledged that TomorrowNow stole customer support documents from Oracle password-protected Web sites and used them to steal business from Oracle by offering similar services at a cheaper price.
Oracle has said that it is owed billions for the value of the intellectual property that was taken from it. Ellison’s $4 billion estimate concerned the amount of money SAP would have paid for the appropriate licenses to Oracle’s software, under certain conditions.
SAP claims TomorrowNow wasn’t that effective at stealing customers, and it should only have to pay $40 million for Oracle accounts it did manage to lure away.
The trial, in its second week in federal court, offers a rare look at the corners big companies might be tempted to cut in the battle for new business.
It is also as much a public relations bonanza for Oracle as it is an attempt to recover damages, since Oracle gets to pillory two rivals at once: SAP and Hewlett-Packard Co.
The conflict with SAP has grown as Oracle has moved beyond its core business of selling database software and into SAP’s stronghold of applications that help companies manage payroll, human resources and other tasks.
The issue with HP stems from Oracle’s decision to start selling computer servers, an HP mainstay. Also, Ellison has taken HP to task for hiring Leo Apotheker, SAP’s former CEO, as HP’s new CEO. Apotheker is replacing Ellison’s friend and tennis buddy Mark Hurd,…