A federal jury in California has ordered German software giant SAP to pay $1.3 billion to its US rival Oracle Corp. for copyright infringement.

Oracle dragged SAP to court in 2007, claiming its US-based division TomorrowNow made copyright infringements by downloading hundreds of thousands copies of its software without seeking its permission.

Oracle accused SAP saying it wanted to use the data to poach the 358 customers involved, and sought $1.65 billion compensation. On the other hand SAP claimed that it owed merely $40 million to Oracle, but the jury favored Oracle by awarding unprecedented figure.

The court testified Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison and SAP co-chief executive Bill McDermott.

According to analysts, the award is nearly equal to SAP’s projected net income for the final three months of the year, excluding some costs.

But, SAP said that it could appeal against the ruling. Speaking on the ruling, SAP spokesman Bill Wohl said, “We are, of course, disappointed by this verdict and will pursue all available options, including post-trial motions and appeal if necessary.”

The jury pronounced the decision just one day after the deliberation.