Rimini Street and Oracle Reach Historic Settlement, Ending 15-Year Legal Battle

After more than a decade and a half of contentious litigation, enterprise software support company Rimini Street, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMNI) and technology giant Oracle Corporation have reached a confidential settlement agreement that may finally bring closure to one of the software industry’s most protracted legal disputes. The settlement, announced on July 7, 2025, resolves the long-running “Rimini II” case and includes significant financial terms that will see Oracle return approximately $37.8 million to Rimini Street^[1].

Background of the Legal Dispute

The legal saga between Oracle and Rimini Street began in January 2010 when Oracle first sued Rimini Street for copyright infringement in what became known as the “Rimini I” case^[2]. Oracle alleged that Rimini Street, which provides third-party support services for Oracle and other enterprise software products, was engaging in what Oracle characterized as “massive theft” of its copyrighted software materials^[3].

The dispute centered on Rimini Street’s business model of providing alternative maintenance and support services for Oracle’s enterprise software products, including PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, Siebel, and Oracle Database systems. Oracle contended that Rimini Street was illegally accessing, copying, and distributing Oracle’s copyrighted materials to provide these services, while Rimini Street maintained that its practices were lawful under existing software licensing agreements^[4].

The initial litigation proved costly for Rimini Street. In 2015, a jury found Rimini Street liable for copyright infringement and awarded Oracle $50 million in damages. This ruling was later upheld on appeal, and by 2019, the total amount Rimini Street was ordered to pay Oracle had grown to approximately $90 million, including $58.1 million in damages and $31.9 million in attorneys’ fees^[5].

The Rimini II Case and Recent Developments

The legal battle became even more complex in October 2014 when Rimini Street initiated a separate lawsuit against Oracle, known as the “Rimini II” case. In this action, Rimini Street sought a declaratory judgment claiming that it had modified its software support practices and was no longer infringing Oracle’s copyrights since July 31, 2014^[6]. Oracle responded with counterclaims for continued copyright infringement and alleged breaches of business terms.

The Rimini II case went through multiple rounds of litigation, appeals, and remands. Following a trial in 2022 and various appeals, the matter was remanded to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada to resolve Oracle’s claims specifically related to how Rimini Street provided certain support services to a subset of its Oracle PeopleSoft clients^[7].

In April 2025, the District Court issued a permanent injunction requiring Rimini Street to comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and cease making certain statements that the court determined were not part of Rimini Street’s current marketing practices^[8]. This injunction, known as the “Rimini II Injunction,” remained in effect alongside the earlier “Rimini I Injunction” from 2018.

Terms of the Settlement Agreement

According to Rimini Street’s SEC filing dated July 9, 2025, the confidential settlement agreement includes several key provisions designed to provide “a full, final, complete and global settlement of the subject matter of the Rimini II case”^[9].

The most significant financial component of the settlement requires Oracle to remit approximately $37.8 million back to Rimini Street out of the approximately $58.7 million in attorneys’ fees and costs that Rimini Street had paid to Oracle in late 2024^[10]. Oracle completed this payment to Rimini Street on July 8, 2025, while retaining approximately $22.5 million of the original fee award.

Importantly, the settlement agreement stipulates that neither party admits any liability or wrongdoing, a common provision in corporate settlement agreements that allows both companies to resolve their disputes without acknowledging fault^[11].

PeopleSoft Wind-Down and Future Operations

A critical aspect of the settlement involves Rimini Street’s commitment to complete its previously announced wind-down of support and services for Oracle’s PeopleSoft software by July 31, 2028. Rimini Street had initially announced this decision during its fiscal second quarter 2024 earnings call on July 31, 2024, noting that the PeopleSoft business contributed approximately $30 million in annual revenue^[12].

Under the settlement terms, Rimini Street must notify all existing PeopleSoft customers about the wind-down, provide quarterly progress reports to Oracle, and ultimately issue a public statement confirming completion of the wind-down process. The company must also sign a declaration under penalty of perjury affirming that the wind-down is complete^[13].

Litigation Standstill and Ongoing Injunctions

The settlement establishes a “litigation standstill” during the PeopleSoft wind-down period, meaning both parties agree not to initiate new legal proceedings against each other related to the existing disputes. This standstill covers any claims related to conduct at issue in either the Rimini I or Rimini II cases that occurred before the end of the wind-down period for PeopleSoft products or before the settlement’s effective date for other Oracle products^[14].

Crucially, both the Rimini I Injunction from 2018 and the Rimini II Injunction from April 2025 remain in effect, with the District Court retaining jurisdiction to enforce them. These injunctions continue to define the parameters within which Rimini Street can provide support services for Oracle products^[15].

Market Impact and Industry Implications

The settlement has been well-received by investors, with Rimini Street’s stock price surging approximately 24% following the announcement and reaching a 52-week high^[16]. Analysts view the resolution as removing a significant overhang that had been weighing on the company’s valuation and operations.

Craig-Hallum analyst Richard Baldry raised Rimini Street’s price target to $6.50, noting that the litigation agreement positions the company for growth by eliminating the estimated $7 million in annual external legal costs associated with the ongoing disputes [17]. The settlement also provides Rimini Street with immediate cash flow improvement through the $37.8 million payment from Oracle.

For the broader enterprise software support industry, the settlement may provide greater clarity around the boundaries of third-party support services. The resolution suggests that while companies like Rimini Street can continue to operate in this space, they must do so within carefully defined parameters that respect intellectual property rights.

The Rimini Street and Oracle settlement represents the end of a legal battle that has spanned three presidential administrations and fundamentally shaped the enterprise software support industry. While the confidential nature of the agreement means that many details remain private, the public terms suggest a pragmatic resolution that allows both companies to move forward while maintaining important protections for Oracle’s intellectual property.

For Rimini Street, the settlement provides financial relief, operational clarity, and the opportunity to focus on its core business without the distraction and expense of ongoing litigation. For Oracle, the agreement maintains the integrity of its intellectual property protections while recovering a substantial portion of its legal costs. As both companies look toward the future, this settlement may mark the beginning of a new chapter in the enterprise software support landscape.

References

[1] Rimini Street, Inc. Form 8-K Current Event Report Filed 2025-07-09, SEC Filing
[2] The Register, “Settlement may spell end to Rimini Street, Oracle legal saga,” July 11, 2025
[3] License Fortress, “Oracle v. Rimini Street Timeline and Customer Implications,” August 7, 2023
[4] Supreme Court of the United States, Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., 586 U.S. _ (2019)
[5] Reuters, “Oracle wins $58.5 mln in attorneys’ fees in Rimini copyright case,” September 23, 2024
[6] Rimini Street, Inc. Form 8-K Current Event Report Filed 2025-07-09, SEC Filing
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Seeking Alpha, “Rimini Street surges 24% after settling copyright dispute with Oracle,” July 10, 2025
[17] AI Invest, “Rimini Street’s Litigation Agreement Sets Company Up for Growth,” July 10, 2025