On Tuesday, February 7^th, one of the biggest computing companies in the world decided against taking a $272 million award that stemmed from a court victory over chief rival SAP (News - Alert) AG. Oracle and German software maker SAP had gone to court over the theft of intellectual property that Oracle (News - Alert) claimed undercut its ability to do business.

The decision to reject the award goes all the way back to a court fight in November of 2010, when the jury awarded Oracle $1.3 billion. SAP AG actually admitted that a now closed subsidiary, TomorrowNow, was indeed guilty of the theft. SAP's defense centered on claims that the theft did not impact either company all that much and argued that at most they owed $40 million in fines.

Last September, a federal judge seemed to be splitting the difference between the amount the jury awarded the previous November and what SAP said it should pay by trimming down the huge $1.3 billion amount down to the current $272 million. Last week, after long deliberations, Oracle decided that they would rather face another trial than accept the discounted award.

Oracle is well known throughout the computer world as one of the top movers and shakers. The company has its fair share of money coming into and moving out of the company's coffers as witnessed by their recent purchase of Taleo for a whopping $1.9 billion. A company that does that kind of business can probably afford to forego the cash award for now if it feels as if it can get more in the future while dealing a major competitor a bigger blow along the way.

Of course, Oracle is taking a bit of a gamble with this move. While another trial might produce similar or better results than the original trial, there is also a chance the company won't see the kind of money they are turning down now. Oracle investors look like they might be a bit nervous about this decision, as the company's stock slipped just a bit following the announcement.