Michael Liedtke

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

January 11, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

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

August 16, 2004 | Law.com

Google Inc. forged ahead with its IPO auction Friday, even as the online search engine leader acknowledged a newly published magazine interview with its founders contained misleading information. The flap over the Playboy interview cast another cloud over the once-resplendent IPO. The company has been stung by a backlash against its high IPO target price and a legal settlement that will result in a third-quarter loss.

By Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

September 23, 2005 | Law.com

Arguments are scheduled today in a California class action consumer lawsuit that seeks to force Visa and Mastercard to notify 264,000 customers that a computer hacker stole their account information from a payment processor. The breach, initially disclosed by MasterCard three months ago, exposed up to 40 million credit and debit-card accounts to potential abuse between August 2004 and May 2005. The credit card companies maintain that responsibility should fall to the banks administering the accounts.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read