Judge Orders Mediation in Oracle`s Suit Against SAP

A judge in U.S. District Court inSan Franciscoruled that Oracle andSAP should try tosettle charges of intellectual property theft and copyright infringementthrough mediation.Oracle, however, says it wants no part of any mediation efforts and intendsto file new claims againstSAP and itsTomorrowNow subsidiary.

The judge’s order for mediation, a process known as Alternative DisputeResolution, in which the parties in a lawsuit attempt to settle a case withouta trial, came after Oracle andSAP met Feb.12 in a pre-trial case management meeting at the courthouse.

Oracle initially filed suit last March claiming corporate intellectualproperty theft on a grand scale. Several months later, Oracle amended itscharge to include allegations of code theft, copyright infringement and breachof contract claims. Oracle is again on the verge of amending its complaintagainstSAP, according to companyspokesperson Debra Hellinger.

"As set forth in Oracle’s current claims, it appears thatSAPinfringed Oracle’s intellectual property on a daily basis over a course of manyyears, in ways that Oracle is only beginning to discover," said Hellingerin a statement.

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