Oracle raps Justice Department

In a letter to PeopleSoft shareholders Wednesday, Oracle criticized the staff recommendation of the U.S. Department of Justice, which advocated challenging Oracle's hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft. , Oracle said the department staff was adopting a "novel" legal theory to challenge the case.

In its shareholder filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Oracle said that the Department of Justice must define a market in which a group will be harmed. "Instead, (the department) staff is attempting to utilize a novel legal theory, in which each customer is a unique market," Oracle stated in its filing. The department is expected to announce by Tuesday whether it will ultimately challenge Oracle's bid.