Gene Johnson

September 30, 2002 | Law.com

A long-anticipated Nirvana song, the subject of much litigation, has finally surfaced on the airwaves more than eight years after singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. Cobain's estate closely guarded "You Know You're Right," making it one of the most legendary unreleased tracks in rock history. The release followed comments from Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, indicating that lawsuits involving the song had been settled.

By Gene Johnson

3 minute read

February 14, 2011 | Law.com

After a former Coach employee listed her Coach bag for sale online, the company threatened her with up to $2 million in penalties for allegedly selling a counterfeit. The woman is now suing Coach, alleging defamation.

By Gene Johnson

5 minute read

September 07, 2005 | Law.com

A former Microsoft executive known for his work on computer recognition of language used insider information to get himself a job at rival Google in violation of a noncompete agreement, a Microsoft lawyer alleged Tuesday. However, attorneys for Google said in court that much of what Kai-Fu Lee knew about the Chinese market came from his previous work experience at Apple and elsewhere. The case has illuminated the behind-the-scenes bitterness between the two rival companies.

By Gene Johnson

3 minute read

July 29, 2005 | Law.com

The sentence was straightforward: An Algerian man got 22 years for plotting to bomb the L.A. airport on the eve of the millennium. But what the judge said in imposing the term raised eyebrows. Saying the successful prosecution should be a warning to terrorists but also a statement about terrorism-fighting tactics, federal Judge John C. Coughenour said, "We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel."

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

November 08, 2004 | Law.com

Lying in his hospital bed, being treated for cancer, Eric Drew began to get mail. Not just from well-wishers but from unfamiliar banks and credit card companies. After six months, Drew discovered who had stolen his identity: a hospital technician. The technician was sentenced Friday to 16 months in prison, making him the first person in the nation sentenced under a new law designed to protect patients' privacy, according to prosecutors.

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

January 26, 2006 | Legaltech News

The Washington state attorney general's office has sued New York-based Secure Computer and individuals in New York, New Hampshire, Oregon and India under state and federal anti-spam and spyware laws, saying they induced computer users to download software that weakened their computers' security. Attorney General Rob McKenna said the suit is the first to be filed under the state's new anti-spyware act.

By Gene Johnson

3 minute read

January 26, 2006 | Law.com

The Washington state attorney general's office has sued New York-based Secure Computer and individuals in New York, New Hampshire, Oregon and India under state and federal anti-spam and spyware laws, saying they induced computer users to download software that weakened their computers' security. Attorney General Rob McKenna said the suit is the first to be filed under the state's new anti-spyware act.

By Gene Johnson

3 minute read

September 07, 2007 | Law.com

A Seattle man has been arrested in what federal authorities described as their first case against someone accused of using file-sharing computer programs to commit identity theft, prosecutors said. Gregory Thomas Kopiloff used "peer-to-peer" file-sharing programs to troll other people's computers for financial information that he then used to open credit cards for an online shopping spree, according to an indictment unsealed Sept. 6.

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

September 15, 2005 | Law.com

Hours after a Washington state judge ruled that former Microsoft executive Kai-Fu Lee may begin doing limited work for rival Google, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said the software giant was prepared to settle its lawsuit if the restrictions on Lee remain in effect until next summer, when Lee's noncompete agreement expires. "We can settle this lawsuit tomorrow," said Smith. Lee still cannot work on products, services or projects he worked on at Microsoft, pending a trial set for January.

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

March 09, 2004 | Law.com

Seattle joined the gay marriage fight Monday, with the mayor announcing that City Hall will recognize unions of gay city employees who tie the knot elsewhere, and six same-sex couples suing for the right to wed. "Seattle has often been in the forefront of protecting all its citizens regardless of sexual orientation," Mayor Greg Nickels said at a news conference. He also proposed an ordinance to extend protections for gay married couples throughout the city.

By Gene Johnson

3 minute read