SAP Attorney: Board Knew TomorrowNow Was Infringing at Time of Acquisition

Proceedings in the Oracle-SAP trial kicked off today with a comment, startling in both its source and content.

While discussing instructions to be given to the jury before it begins deliberations, SAP attorney Greg Lanier remarked that “at time of acquisition, the board was aware of [infringing] software on TomorrowNow’s computers.”

The jury wasn’t present to hear Lanier’s admission, but still it seems a rather bold one to make in open court, considering SAPs’ stance up until today–even when it decided in October not to contest Oracle’s claim for contributory infringement–has been that its executives didn’t know its TomorrowNow unit was illegally pillaging Oracle’s IP.

SAP declined comment on Lanier’s remarks.

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