The case management conference scheduled to kick off Oracles suit against SAP has been postponed before it even got off the ground.
A SAP spokesperson has confirmed that the case management meeting scheduled for Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. PDT in a San Francisco court, was cancelled at the last minute due to the judges illness—and not because either company was wrangling for an extension. The conference has been rescheduled to Sept. 11.
On Aug. 28 both companies filed a joint case management conference statement making their initial arguments to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. SAP, in its segment of the statement, is seeking a speedy resolution to the case, which would include court-ordered mediation through a process known as ADR, or alternative dispute resolution. Oracle, based on seemingly new claims that allege that SAP has been stealing from Oracle for years, is asking for at least an 18-month discovery period leading up to a jury trial in the latter half of 2009.
Oracles suit against SAP raises customer concerns. Click here to read more.
Oracle, based in Redwood Shores, Calif., said in its conference statement that it expects to tap at least 69 customer witnesses and dozens of depositions around the globe to prove its claims against SAP.
Oracle initially filed suit against SAP in March claiming that SAP, through its TomorrowNow subsidiary, which provides third-party support for Oracle applications, unlawfully downloaded thousands of Oracle support documents.
SAP CEO Henning Kagermann said TomorrowNow inappropriately downloaded files, but downplayed potential harm to Oracle.
In June, Oracle amended the suit to include copyright infringement and breach of contract claims that included allegations of illegal hacking.
The meeting scheduled for the afternoon of Sept. 4 was to be the first actual face off between the two companies lawyers. Following such a conference, the court typically issues an order with its decisions on matters such as trial date, alternative dispute resolution and discovery schedule, according to a statement from SAP, based in Walldorf, Germany.
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