A quick update from SAP vs Oracle lawsuit land from Digital Daily,

Bad news for SAP, Hewlett-Packard, its new CEO Léo Apotheker and anyone else tarred and feathered in Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s recent fusillade of anti-SAP broadsides. A federal judge has denied a request for a gag order in the increasingly contentious legal battle between Oracle and SAP.

“No gag order for you!” For those who want to see the ruling itself, click the link above and zoom the page visible there—boring legalese to be said, but excellent soap opera fodder as this highly litigious battle continues to fume.

As per our previous coverage, SAP continued to do well over the 3rd quarter, but still hasn’t managed to shake Oracle in court. Things got much more interesting when Larry Ellison decided to let his mouth enter the fray again—as reported in the quote above—and he had some choice words for SAP CEO Apotheker, HP Chairman Ray Lane, and HP themselves. He’s become fond of the turn of phrase, “Invent to Steal,” a corruption of HP’s marketing tagline, have made Ellison’s fulminating vituperations famous.

While there are dire legal consequences tied up in these proceedings, there’s just that little bit of cheerful schadenfreude tickling my eyes every time I see these CEOs go at it. And now, without that gag order in place, we’re probably going to continue to get an eyeful.