Michael Liedtke

August 04, 2004 | Law.com

A new study says Wal-Mart Stores' wage and benefit policies cost California taxpayers $86 million annually to provide health care and other public assistance to the company's underpaid workers. Wal-Mart disputed the university study, which is based on the premise that the retailer's paltry pay scale forces its workers to supplement their incomes with food stamps and other taxpayer-backed programs at an unusually high rate.

By Michael Liedtke

2 minute read

July 29, 2008 | Law.com

Business software maker Oracle accused rival SAP on Monday of knowingly buying and then embracing an illegal operation set up to steal Oracle's products and customers. The allegations emerged in new documents filed in a federal fraud case that Oracle brought against SAP last year in San Francisco. Oracle claims that SAP executives were aware of and even contemplated covering up alleged illegal activities by TomorrowNow, a SAP subsidiary. The Justice Department has also been investigating Oracle's claims.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

March 19, 2007 | Legaltech News

Cingular Wireless will refund $18.5 million to former California customers penalized for canceling their mobile phone service because of trouble making and receiving calls. About 115,000 ex-Cingular customers from January 2000 through April 2002 will receive refund checks of $160.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

August 15, 2005 | Law.com

Stung by a publishing industry backlash, Google has halted its efforts to scan copyrighted books from some of the nation's largest university libraries so the material can be indexed in its leading Internet search engine. The project troubles publishers because they fear making digital versions of copyrighted books available on the Internet could open the door to unauthorized duplication and distribution, similar to the rampant online pirating that has decimated music industry sales.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

June 07, 2006 | Legaltech News

Google introduced a spreadsheet program Tuesday. Jonathan Rochelle, project manager for Google Spreadsheet, said the program's main goal is to enable groups of authorized users to collaborate on the same document without having to e-mail attachments back and forth.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

February 21, 2006 | Law.com

Hoping to satisfy U.S. regulators, Netflix appears ready to revise a proposed class action settlement so 6 million consumers eligible for a free sample of its online DVD rental service aren't automatically charged after the one-month offer expires. Under an initial settlement reached five months ago, Netflix agreed to offer free DVDs for one month to anyone who had been subscribing before Jan. 15, 2005.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

October 19, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

The chairman of KLA-Tencor Corp. retired Tuesday with a less valuable stock-option package, becoming the latest insider swept up in the computer chip supplier's efforts to clean up an accounting mess expected to cost up to $400 million. Kenneth Levy decided to step down from the board late Monday after KLA acknowledged it improperly booked employee stock options for several years. KLA also accepted the resignation of its GC, Stuart Nichols, and severed its ties with former CEO Kenneth Schroeder.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

July 26, 2004 | Law.com

Online search engine giant Google Inc. casts itself as an enlightened employer that pampers its employees with free meals to supplement plentiful helpings of stock options. But a suit filed by a recently fired, 54-year-old Google manager offers a less flattering picture, contending the company has cultivated a culture that discriminates against older workers and fostered serious morale problems.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

April 05, 2006 | Law.com

Online DVD rental service Netflix on Tuesday accused Blockbuster of illegally copying its ideas in a patent infringement suit challenging the video store chain's recent Internet expansion. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, focuses on the online wish lists that prioritize the DVD desires of about 5.4 subscribers to either Netflix or Blockbuster's Internet service. Netflix also believes its patents cover the popular feature of renting DVDs for an unlimited time without late fees.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

June 12, 2007 | Law.com

Google Inc.'s privacy practices are the worst among the Internet's top destinations, according to a watchdog group seeking to intensify the recent focus on how the online search leader handles personal information about its users.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read