英语听力精选进阶版 14050

Computer company awarded compensation

Summary

24 November 2010

The German computer software company, SAP, has been fined $1.3bn for stealing trade secrets from another company. Lawyers for Oracle¹, the other company involved, said the fine is the largest ever awarded in a corporate² copyright abuse case.

Reporter:

Mark Gregory

Report

The judgement is being seen as a severe blow to the reputation of the world's largest provider of software for business computer systems. SAP has always accepted that one of its subsidiary companies,TomorrowNow, which is now defunct³, downloaded copyrighted Oracle software over the internet and used it in its own systems to lure⁴ customers away from Oracle.

SAP argued the financial consequences were small and it should pay no more than $40 million in damages. But the jury appears to have accepted Oracle's argument that the scale of the damages should reflect what it would have cost SAP to buy a license⁵ to use the stolen software at the outset, a far larger amount.

The penalty is certainly one of the biggest ever awarded in a corporate copyright case. Oracle's lawyers say it is the largest. Top executives from both firms gave evidence in the three-week trial, which has captivated the attention of California's Silicon⁶ Valley, a global centre for high technology industry.

SAP, Oracle and another company, Hewlett Packard, are involved in a bitter three-way tussle⁷ for control of the multi-billion dollar market for corporate computer systems. SAP's longstanding dominance is under threat by the other two. SAP says it's likely to appeal against the award. If nothing else, the case has brought home the potential financial risks firms face if they take others' trade secrets.

Mark Gregory, BBC News

1 oracle   

n.神谕，神谕处，预言

参考例句：

• In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
• It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 defunct   

adj.死亡的；已倒闭的

参考例句：

• The scheme for building an airport seems to be completely defunct now.建造新机场的计划看来整个完蛋了。
• This schema object is defunct.No modifications are allowed until it is made active again.此架构对象不起作用。在重新激活之前，不能进行任何改动。

4 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

7 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。