Dive Brief:
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The legal dispute in which Oracle Corp. is suing Rimini Street Inc. over software that provides low-cost support for customers will go to court in September.
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Oracle first sued Rimini in 2010, claiming Rimini stole copyrighted material. Oracle is seeking $209 million in damages.
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Rimini offers businesses support for “at least half” of the cost of support offered directly through Oracle. Rimini has won over 800 Oracle customers since launching in 2005.
Dive Insight:
Some CIOs say Oracle charges too much for updates and other tweaks they don’t need. "[The support] cost was high and we never got anything out of them,” said Valspar CIO Tom Grooms, who switched to Rimini to reduce costs.
An Oracle victory in the case could limit competition and options for CIOs looking to cut costs. Some CIOs say they are frustrated with big software companies that charge exorbitant costs for licensing, maintenance and support.