Oracle copyright battle: Rimini Street ordered to correct 'false' statements

In litigation making love backmost to nan twelvemonth nan first iPad was released, Oracle and SAP support master Rimini Street is vowing to entreaty against nan latest tribunal ruling that it infringed Big Red's copyright, removed copyright notices, and made mendacious statements astir support practices.

Both sides person claimed partial victories pursuing this week's determination successful nan long-running dispute.

The ineligible spat betwixt Rimini Street and Oracle goes backmost much than 13 years. The original litigation began successful 2010 erstwhile Oracle sued Rimini for copyright infringement, winning a trial verdict successful 2015 and yet $90 cardinal successful damages, fees and costs connected that action. It besides won a imperishable injunction against copyright infringement.

In January past year, a tribunal recovered Rimini Street successful contempt of tribunal and ordered it to salary $630,000 successful sanctions, a trifling sum considering Big Red’s $40 billion-revenue status. At nan time, Rimini Street told The Register it was considering options, including an appeal, while besides pursuing a suit brought against Oracle successful 2014, including a declare that Oracle has engaged successful forbidden anticompetitive conduct.

This peculiar case, Rimini II, was revenge successful 2014 by nan support biz itself, arsenic a declaratory judgment [PDF] action – alleging that Rimini had made changes to its package support practices and asking nan tribunal to state that it hadn't infringed Oracle's copyrights since July 31, 2014. Essentially this would beryllium a measurement of resolving ineligible uncertainty for its investors and users. Oracle snapped backmost pinch counterclaims for copyright infringement, and alleged Rimini had breached business terms.

Nevada national judge Miranda Du issued nan imperishable injunction astatine nan opening of this week [PDF] successful Rimini II, requiring Rimini Street to extremity various support programs while further limiting others. The institution besides has to rumor a 14-point property merchandise stating, among different things, that it can't show customers that "Oracle's CPUs supply small to nary worth to customers and are nary longer relevant," nor declare that "Rimini did not transcript aliases stock Oracle package betwixt clients betwixt February 2014 and January 2020."

The tribunal said nan merchandise must authorities that it is being published to "provide customers and prospective customers of Rimini Street pinch accusation astir mendacious and misleading statements that Rimini Street has made successful its advertisements and trading campaigns." Among nan mendacious statements, nan injunction stated, was nan declare that "once an Oracle ERP level is stable, location is nary existent request for further patches from Oracle."

The support biz, however, said successful a connection that it "respectfully disagrees pinch respective conclusions, findings, comments and rulings of nan Court." It had already revenge announcement to entreaty by Tuesday this week. Rimini Street pointed retired it had lodged successful appeals during earlier chapters successful nan long-running ineligible saga, successfully winning a $34 cardinal refund from Oracle.

In a note to investors, Rimini Street besides pointed retired Oracle had withdrawn its declare for monetary relief. It said nan Court had rejected Oracle’s statement that its licence agreements forestall Rimini Street from documenting its ain “know how” and codification successful method specifications while nan Court besides held that Oracle’s package licenses extremity customers from hiring a 3rd statement for illustration Rimini Street to execute package updates aliases fixes.

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The territory tribunal judge's injunction besides held Rimini Street CEO Seth Ravin liable for nan company's copyright infringement, copyright announcement removal, and mendacious advertising.

The latest ruling orders Rimini Street to "immediately and permanently discontinue nan usage and operation" of a number of pieces of software, including immoderate of its automated devices and Code Analyser. It besides said nan institution should rumor nan "corrective" property merchandise "no later than 30 days" aft Monday's injunction, August 23, 2023.

Rimini Street is yet to rumor nan property release. The Register has contacted Rimini Street for a response. ®