Michael Liedtke

August 07, 2006 | Law.com

As the stock option cloud over Apple Computer Inc. darkened, spooked investors caused Apple shares to drop sharply during Aug. 4 trading before rebounding. Apple expects to miss a deadline for filing its most recent quarterly report with the SEC as it reviews possible revisions to past profits. While the company has weathered the stock option storm remarkably well so far, depending on the possible abuses, class action lawyers and prosecutors could target Apple's board or its renowned CEO, Steve Jobs.

By Michael Liedtke

5 minute read

September 11, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

Battling to keep her job, Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn tried Friday to defuse the uproar over a company-ordered investigation that relied on a possibly illegal ruse to obtain the phone records of her fellow directors and journalists. In an interview, Dunn described the tactics as "absolutely appalling" and "embarrassing" while defending the need for the investigation to plug a leak on HP's board. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has concluded the HP investigation broke state law.

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

4 minute read

February 14, 2005 | Legaltech News

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

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

March 24, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

A San Francisco Superior Court judge indicated on Wednesday that he needed more time to figure out how much to reduce the fees of two lawyers representing the interests of 5.5 million current and former Netflix subscribers. Judge Thomas Mellon Jr.'s refusal to approve the proposed attorney fees represents the latest twist in an 18-month-old case revolving around allegations that Netflix had been exaggerating how quickly it delivers movies to subscribers.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

December 13, 2004 | Law.com

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

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

October 16, 2007 | Law.com

Online video leader YouTube has rolled out long-awaited technology to automatically remove copyrighted clips, hoping to placate movie and television studios fed up with the Web site's persistent piracy problems. The filtering tools are designed so the owners of copyrighted video can block their material from appearing on YouTube.

By Michael Liedtke

4 minute read