Michael Liedtke

November 14, 2006 | Law.com

Silicon Valley business leaders have long served on each other's boards, giving bright minds a way to share their collective wisdom and fostering a climate of corporate clubbiness that prizes personal networks as much as computer networks. But what happens when bad ideas seep into chummy boardrooms? An answer may be emerging as federal prosecutors and regulators dig deeper into a stock options scandal that has already forced dozens of companies across the country to wipe out more than $5 billion in profits.

By Michael Liedtke

7 minute read

February 14, 2005 | Law.com

Increasingly, merchants are falling victim to "click fraud," a scam that threatens to squelch the online advertising boom that has helped enrich Google, Yahoo and their business partners. The ruse varies, but the result is that merchants are billed for fruitless traffic generated by someone repeatedly clicking on an advertiser's link with no intention of buying anything. In November, a lawsuit filed by Google revealed it can't even trust some of its own advertising partners.

By Michael Liedtke

6 minute read

June 20, 2007 | Law.com

After exasperating investors for most of the past 18 months, Yahoo Inc. Chairman Terry Semel finally found a way to please Wall Street by stepping aside as chief executive.

By Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

October 17, 2005 | Law.com

Google's attempt to lift job restrictions on a top computer engineer lured from rival Microsoft suffered another blow Friday under a tentative court ruling that would limit the search engine company's legal options for at least another three months. Kai-Fu Lee's relocation from Microsoft's home state of Washington to Google's home state of California has become the pivotal point in the tug-of-war over Lee's services because Washington honors noncompete agreements while California does not.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

September 28, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

Veteran lawyer Larry Sonsini is one of Silicon Valley's most influential figures. So when he assured Hewlett-Packard executives about the legality of their boardroom spying probe, the opinion must have carried considerable weight. But now he's scheduled to testify Thursday before a congressional panel investigating HP's pretexting scandal. Sonsini also served on the board of Pixar, which some analysts suspect may have mishandled its stock options before its sale to Walt Disney earlier this year.

By Jordan Robertson and Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

February 13, 2006 | Legaltech News

Google is offering a new tool that will automatically transfer information from one personal computer to another, but anyone wanting that convenience must authorize the Internet search leader to store the material for up to 30 days. "We think this will be a very useful tool, but you will have to give up some of your privacy," said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience. "For many of us, that trade off will make a lot of sense."

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

January 31, 2005 | Legaltech News

California utility regulators on Thursday suspended an 8-month-old crackdown on abusive practices in the wireless telephone industry, rebuffing the protests of consumer activists and the state's top law enforcement officials. The California Public Utilities Commission's 3-1 decision represented a dramatic about-face from last May, when the same agency passed the nation's toughest wireless phone regulations, known as the Telecommunications Consumer Bill of Rights.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

August 14, 2006 | Law.com

Apple Computer maneuvered Friday to keep its shares listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market after reiterating that it will miss a regulatory deadline for filing its quarterly results while it investigates whether mishandling of employee stock options distorted its financial results. The company will seek an administrative hearing in response to a Nasdaq letter warning of a possible delisting due to the delayed report. Apple's shares will remain listed until there is a ruling, not likely for two to three months.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read

July 25, 2005 | Law.com

Google has countersued Microsoft in a battle over a prized research engineer that shows the growing tensions between the tech titans. The tussle began after Google raided Microsoft's management ranks by hiring Kai Fu-Lee to open an R&D office in China. Microsoft sued Google and Lee, alleging a noncompete agreement prevented him from defecting. Google retaliated Thursday with its own complaint, in which it contends the noncompete provision violates California laws giving workers the right to change jobs.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

February 13, 2006 | Law.com

In a little-known practice derided by critics as "throttling," an automated system used by the Netflix online DVD rental service delays heavy renters' movie shipments. That means customers who pay the same price for the same service are often treated differently, depending on their rental patterns. The practice has sparked legal action, and a hearing on a revised settlement proposal concerning the Netflix system is scheduled for Feb. 22 in San Francisco.

By Michael Liedtke

6 minute read