SAP won't have to pay Oracle $1.3bn after all

Last fall, a jury found that SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow had stolen software and customer support documents from password-protected Oracle Web sites, and ordered SAP to pay Oracle $1.3bn for the fight.

SAP said the fine should be no more than $40m, and had set aside only $160m.

Today, a judge in Oakland, CA, reversed the ruling from last fall and called the fine "grossly excessive." Oracle can either accept a lower amount of $272m or ask for a retrial.

This is no shock at all -- huge fines from juries in business cases are often overturned on appeal.

Whatever the fine ends up being, Oracle has already gotten a lot of publicity out of the case. Earlier this week, Oracle blasted former SAP head Leo Apotheker, who is now the CEO of HP, for "his involvement in SAP's illegal business practices." Apotheker hid from Oracle's attorneys last November when he took over the HP job, because he didn't want to be subpoenaed in the SAP-Oracle case.

(Published by Business Insider - September 1, 2011)