Wouldn't say this is a "major" lawsuit. MDSO is about to hit $30/share, a new high, and no signs of slowing down. An patent lawsuit from DATA, a company who won't be able to afford the litigation, isn't anything major. The patent is actually pretty broad, and from what I can see - doesn't really map up to how MDSO setup their software. We all know the patent game, but at least DATA actually has a company with a patented product (unlike the patent troll that is DataSci.)
My prediction is the DATA lawsuit will be thrown out. I also do not believe SAP or Cerner will acquire MDSO at all. Based on their recent earnings call, they really want to become the defacto standard cloud based platform for clinical development.
This is a classic Apple vs Microsoft game. Apple is Medidata, and Microsoft is Oracle. That is my prediction on the trend.