Oracle judge hears closing arguments

Takes no prisoners

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Applications, 21st July 2004 10:47 GMT

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Judge Vaughan Walker heard closing arguments from the US government and from Oracle yesterday - and gave both sides some tough questions.

The US government presented its case first but the judge questioned their market definition. Walker asked: "How can this be anything but a global market?"

He also asked whether the government definition of "high-function" human resource and financial software had ever been used outside of the case currently being heard.

But Oracle got a similar roasting when they gave their closing arguments. Walker noted that "customer witness after customer witness" said that Oracle, PeopleSoft and SAP are different from other vendors. Oracle arugues that other suppliers like Lawson Software also provide competition in the market.

PeopleSoft chief executive Craig Conway, who was in court, told news.com: "I think the case has been, from the beginning, about harm to the customers and to the industry". He said he hoped a decision was reached quickly. A decision could be announced within two months but European regulators still have to approve the deal, and Oracle and PeopleSoft have separate legal actions against each other. ®