"The offer price remains at 21.00 dollars per share subject to Oracle's right to terminate or amend the offer at any time," the company said in a brief statement.

On October 1, PeopleSoft dumped the chief executive leading its takeover defense, Craig Conway, and US regulators dropped their antitrust case against a merger of the two firms.

PeopleSoft voted to appoint Dave Duffield, the company founder and chairman, as CEO, and announced the appointment of two co-presidents.

The Justice Department's top antitrust official said at the same that the government would not appeal a court decision allowing Oracle to pursue its takeover bid.

US antitrust regulators had sought to block the bid, claiming it would hinder competition, but US District Judge Vaughn Walker rejected the government's arguments on September 9.

The Justice Department had argued that Oracle, PeopleSoft and Germany's SAP are the only companies that develop and sell the high-end integrated human resource and financial management software used by big companies and government agencies.

Oracle bucked convention and court odds in defending itself against the suit. Typically corporations give up on takeover efforts if Justice Department lawyers deem they would be anti-competitive.

Wall Street had widely viewed Conway's ouster as clearing the way for a merger with Oracle.

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