Michael Liedtke

December 12, 2007 | Legaltech News

Ask.com has unveiled a new privacy control, "AskEraser." The control purges users' search requests from the search company's data banks within a few hours. With the launch, Ask.com hopes to establish itself as the Internet's least intrusive search engine.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

May 25, 2005 | Law.com

A group of academic publishers is challenging Google Inc.'s plan to scan millions of library books into its Internet search engine index, highlighting fears the ambitious project will violate copyrights and stifle future sales. The plan "appears to involve systematic infringement of copyright on a massive scale," wrote Peter Givler, the executive director for the New York-based Association of American University Presses, in a letter to Google. The company said it offers protections to copyright holders.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

May 04, 2006 | Legaltech News

Microsoft Corp. will pay $70 million to thousands of California government agencies in the latest legal settlement spurred by price-gouging allegations against the world's largest computer software maker. The proposed truce covers a wide range of taxpayer-backed agencies -- from local school districts to regional transportation systems -- that bought Microsoft products dating back to 1995.

By Michael Liedtke

2 minute read

November 10, 2006 | Law.com

Google's online video service has been sued for copyright infringement, providing a possible preview of the legal trouble that may plague the company after it takes over YouTube and its library of pirated clips, the company said Wednesday. In the filing, Google acknowledged it could face more copyright suits once the $1.65 billion YouTube deal closes. A theory widely circulated on the Internet speculated that Google had set aside $500 million of the YouTube purchase price to pay copyright settlements.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

January 24, 2007 | Law.com

Sharper Image has agreed to offer more than $60 million in credits to settle a class action alleging it misled customers about the effectiveness of its "Ionic Breeze" air purifers. A Florida man said he paid several hundred dollars for an Ionic Breeze to help remove dust, pollen and other particles from the air, only to find it didn't work as advertised. The retailer cited scientific studies validating the product's effectiveness, but concluded settling was in its "best interest," court papers said.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

November 07, 2006 | Legaltech News

Microsoft Corp. has upgraded its online mapping service to include three-dimensional tours of 15 U.S. cities, another step in its pursuit of Internet search leader Google Inc. Microsoft is hoping to upstage Google's popular "Earth" software.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

January 11, 2006 | Law.com

A federal appeals court on Tuesday cleared the way for California to recover $4.6 billion that the state's attorney general alleges was illegally transferred from Pacific Gas and Electric to its corporate parent before the power utility's 2001 bankruptcy.The 9th Circuit decided U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker had improperly restricted the state's policing powers when he concluded that federal bankruptcy laws blocked the reimbursement claim from being heard in state court.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

January 17, 2006 | Law.com

A proposed settlement affecting Netflix Inc. subscribers has been delayed due to complaints that it favors the online DVD rental service and lawyers who sued the company. Anyone who accepts the offer will have to cancel the service after a month or will be automatically charged. "This settlement is a striking example ... of class-action settlements that provide substantial benefits to the defendants and class counsel but little or no relief to the class," the public interest law firm argued.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

December 13, 2004 | Legaltech News

Oracle has brought an end to the hostilities in its bid to acquire rival PeopleSoft by sweetening its all-cash offer to $26.50 per share, up from a $24 bid that PeopleSoft's board had rejected as inadequate. The $10.3 billion deal will create the world's second largest maker of business applications software. The truce came just before the rivals were set to renew their battle in a Delaware trial focusing on an anti-takeover defense known as a poison pill.

By Michael Liedtke

6 minute read

October 04, 2005 | Law.com

Google's constant presence in the news and on pundits' lips has the competition -- including Microsoft Corp. -- watching closely. Analysts speculate the firm may be working on ambitious projects, including free nationwide wireless Internet access and a Web-hosted alternative to Microsoft's Windows operating system. Time will tell whether Google succeeds at its plan "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" -- or fail on a scale reminiscent of the dot-com years.

By Michael Liedtke

6 minute read