Oracle v. Rimini Street: A Decade-Long Legal War Winds Down as Court Stays Proceedings Pending Settlement

By Pam Fulmer

In one of the most interesting and long-running copyright and software licensing battles in enterprise software history, Oracle and Rimini Street have reached a major inflection point. On July 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada granted a joint stipulation to stay all proceedings and vacate the case schedule in Oracle Int’l Corp. et al. v. Rimini Street, Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-01699-MMD-DJA. The litigation—spanning over a decade, multiple trials, and appeals—has shaped the legal landscape governing third-party software support and license compliance.  We have blogged on the case in the past as our readers know, and additional articles can be found on our website.

At Tactical Law Group LLP, we counsel clients navigating complex software licensing issues with large enterprise software publishers, including disputes involving third-party support, software audits, vendor overreach, Oracle Java SE disputes, and failed ERP implementations involving Oracle, NetSuite and other vendors.
 
A Historic Copyright Dispute with Far-Reaching Implications

The Oracle v. Rimini saga began in earnest in 2010 with a separate lawsuit (often referred to as Rimini I), in which Oracle successfully obtained a $50+ million judgment and a permanent injunction against Rimini Street for infringing Oracle’s copyrights in delivering unauthorized third-party support services.

In the second case—filed in 2014—Oracle continued its claims, focusing on Rimini’s continued practices and alleged violations of Oracle’s software license terms, particularly around PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and other Oracle applications. The litigation has spanned:

• Complex issues of software copyright infringement,
• Disputes over the scope of software licenses,
• Injunction enforcement,
• Appeals to the Ninth Circuit,
• And now, a conditional settlement tied to Rimini's cessation of PeopleSoft-related services.

Key Terms of the Court's Stay Order

The July 2025 court order staying the case follows a successful June 2025 mediation between the parties and a subsequent settlement agreement effective July 7, 2025. Rimini has agreed to fully wind down its PeopleSoft support operations by July 31, 2028, after which Oracle will dismiss the case with prejudice. Notably:

• The court vacated all current deadlines and hearings under the existing case schedule;
• The stay remains in effect unless breached or completed earlier;
• If Rimini violates the settlement, Oracle may reinstate proceedings without filing a new lawsuit;
• The court retains jurisdiction to enforce permanent injunctions previously entered in Rimini I and this case.

This structure provides finality and avoids incurring further litigation costs that have no doubt been substantial, while ensuring Oracle can enforce compliance during the wind-down period.

Why This Case Matters

Enterprise software support has become a major profit center for enterprise software companies such as Oracle.  In fact, it has been said by some in the software industry that large publishers are no longer innovating to grow revenue, but instead are focusing on negotiating annual support uplifts.  Oracle has support policies that are expressly incorporated into its license agreements, so enterprise customers should be aware of those policies and other contractual terms when moving away from Oracle and to third party vendors for support.  The case also illustrates that although Oracle seems at times actually reluctant to sue its customers, it has no such qualms about suing third party support vendors who may be cutting into its lucrative support offerings.  In those cases Oracle will be relentless.

Tactical Law’s Role in Software Licensing Disputes

At Tactical Law Group LLP, we represent licensees in disputes with major software vendors, including Oracle, Micro Focus, SUSE, Microsoft, IBM, Broadcom, Quest, Actian, VMware, Adobe, BSA, Autodesk, Anaconda and others. We have deep experience advising clients on:

• Interpreting complex software licensing agreements,
• Responding to license audits and compliance demands,
• Evaluating third-party support relationships,
• Challenging unfair contract provisions,
• Advising clients on license disputes involving downloadable software such as Oracle Java SE and Virtual Box.
  
• And litigating disputes involving failed ERP implementations.

Whether you are negotiating a new software agreement, facing a vendor audit, dealing with a failed ERP implementation, or responding to allegations of breach or copyright infringement, Tactical Law can help your company navigate these challenges strategically and effectively.