SAP plans to vigorously defend itself against Oracles lawsuit alleging “corporate theft on a grand scale” and it will continue offering services to customers through its TomorrowNow subsidiary, according to a March 23 statement released by the company.
“SAP will not comment other than to make it clear to our customers, prospects, investors, employees and partners that SAP will aggressively defend against the claims made by Oracle in the lawsuit,” according to an e-mailed statement from an SAP spokesperson. “SAP will remain focused on delivering products and services—including those from TomorrowNow—that ensure the success of its customers.”
The suit, filed March 22 in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, alleges that SAP, through third-party application provider TomorrowNow, illegally accessed and downloaded thousands of customer support documents, software and other confidential information from Oracles online customer support system.
The suit charges that SAP violated both state and federal laws against computer fraud and abuse, along with statutes against unfair competition and civil conspiracy. Oracle is seeking not only unspecified punitive damages, but an injunction to stop SAP—and TomorrowNow—from accessing the companys support Web site.