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Hewlett Packard sues Hurd over Oracle appointment | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Computer maker Hewlett Packard (HP) has filed a lawsuit against its former head Mark Hurd in an attempt to stop him joining database software maker Oracle. | |
Oracle announced the appointment of Mr Hurd as co-president late on Monday night. | |
HP said Mr Hurd's appointment would put its "most valuable trade secrets and confidential information in peril". | |
Mr Hurd, who resigned from HP only a month ago, is a friend of Oracle's chief executive, Larry Ellison. | |
Mr Hurd was forced to quit after a sexual harassment investigation. He denies any wrongdoing and was backed throughout the investigation by Mr Ellison. | |
The two are among the best-known figures in the technology industry. | The two are among the best-known figures in the technology industry. |
Close links | |
HP said Oracle would gain "a strategic advantage as to where to allocate or not allocate resources and exploit the knowledge of HP's strengths and weaknesses" as a result of hiring Mr Hurd. | |
He replaces current co-president Charles Phillips, who himself courted controversy earlier this year when billboards appeared in a number of US cities featuring pictures of himself and a former girlfriend. | |
Oracle and Hewlett-Packard are closely linked as companies. | Oracle and Hewlett-Packard are closely linked as companies. |
They have worked together for 25 years to ensure their products are compatible. | They have worked together for 25 years to ensure their products are compatible. |
Major technology firms have spent the last few years trying to straddle hardware, software and data storage in a bid to remain relevant. | Major technology firms have spent the last few years trying to straddle hardware, software and data storage in a bid to remain relevant. |
Oracle recently took over rival Sun Microsystems, while HP just fought off Dell in a close bidding war that leaves it the front-runner to take over the data storage company 3Par. | |
Mr Ellison said there was no-one better for the job as co-president of Oracle than Mr Hurd: "There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark." | |
Mr Hurd cut 50,000 jobs during his time at HP. | Mr Hurd cut 50,000 jobs during his time at HP. |