Hewlett Packard Co Asks Judge To Enforce Itanium Contract Vs. Oracle Corporation-Reuters

Reuters reported that Hewlett Packard Co told a judge on June 26, 2012, that Oracle Corporation should be ordered to make its software available on HP's Itanium-based servers for as long as HP sells them. Lawyers for HP and Oracle presented closing arguments in a California state court for the first phase in a bitter lawsuit between the two tech giants. HP attorney Jeffrey Thomas said Oracle was contractually obligated to support Itanium, but Oracle lawyer Dan Wall disagreed. Oracle decided to stop developing software for use with Itanium last year, saying Intel made it clear that the chip was nearing the end of its life and was shifting its focus to its x86 microprocessor. HP seeks up to $4 billion in damages. Instead of a jury, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg will decide the first phase of the trial - namely, whether there is a contract between HP and Oracle, and its terms. If Kleinberg decides in HP's favor, then a jury will decide whether Oracle violated the contract, and damages.