HP, Oracle Dispute Over Itanium Now in Judge’s Hands

eWeek: The first phase of the HP v. Oracle lawsuit regarding support for Itanium servers is officially drawing to a close. This portion of the trial considered the question of whether the two companies actually had a contract in place that would require Oracle to continue supporting HP’s Itanium servers. HP said it obtained a written contract during the settlement negotiations when former HP CEO Mark Hurd went to work for Oracle. Oracle alleges that no such contract exists.

Santa Clara Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg said he will rule on the contract issue by mid-July. If he finds in HP’s favor, the trial will proceed to the second phase, where a jury will decide if Oracle violated the contract and how much it owes (if anything) as a result. HP is seeking $4 billion in damages.