A US federal court judge has ordered Oracle to name a settlement price in its ongoing litigation against rival SAP.
The litigation concerns the handling of proprietary maintenance and support information for former Oracle customers who had switched over to a subsidiary of SAP.
Judge Joseph Spero on Monday ordered Oracle to give a specific dollar amount by 13 February to settle the lawsuit it filed in March 2007. Oracle previously indicated in its lawsuit that its damages were in excess of $1bn (£591m).
SAP has until 18 February to issue a counterproposal. A settlement conference is scheduled for 23 February.
The judge's order is common practice in US lawsuits, in which the parties are ordered to attempt to reach a settlement before the case heads into trial. The trial date is 8 February, 2010.
"We will abide by the decision of the court. It is in everyone's best interest to bring this case to an appropriate resolution without undue delay," SAP said in a statement.
Oracle declined to comment.
