Oracle’s Pricing Practices Detailed

Oracle Corp. offered discounts of more than 70% to dozens of customers to beat bids by PeopleSoft Inc., an economist testified, bolstering Justice Department claims that an Oracle takeover of PeopleSoft would drive up prices.

In one instance, Oracle offered to cut $2.5 million, or 83%, off the list price of human resource software for Teradyne Inc., documents presented at an antitrust trial in San Francisco showed. Kenneth Elzinga, a University of Virginia professor, said such discounts could disappear after a merger.