Michael Liedtke

January 08, 2007 | Law.com

Scrambling to avoid a hefty tax bill, VeriSign's chief financial officer and another executive have agreed to recalculate the value of over 50,000 stock options. VeriSign already has acknowledged the mishandling of some stock options will force it to absorb a charge of up to $250 million. The bungled accounting has threatened VeriSign's listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market and raised embarrassing credibility questions for a company whose business revolves around validating the trustworthiness of Web sites.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

March 24, 2006 | Law.com

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

September 08, 2005 | Corporate Counsel

Google has settled the last part of a lawsuit alleging the online search engine leader's ad network illegally exploited insurer Geico's brand, avoiding a trial on an issue that threatened to bog down one of the Internet's biggest moneymaking machines. The Geico suit is just one of several trademark battles shadowing Google's method for selling the text-based ads that provide the financial fuel for the company's popular search engine.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

November 13, 2006 | Legaltech News

Escalating exuberance over Internet-based business manifested itself at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco -- a 3-year-old event renamed this year to underscore its exclusive status. Startups paid $10,000 apiece for the privilege of making five-minute onstage demos.

By Michael Liedtke

2 minute read

September 08, 2005 | Law.com

Google has settled the last part of a lawsuit alleging the online search engine leader's ad network illegally exploited insurer Geico's brand, avoiding a trial on an issue that threatened to bog down one of the Internet's biggest moneymaking machines. The Geico suit is just one of several trademark battles shadowing Google's method for selling the text-based ads that provide the financial fuel for the company's popular search engine.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

February 21, 2006 | Legaltech News

Google on Friday criticized the Bush administration's demand to examine millions of its users' Internet search requests as a misguided fishing expedition that threatens to ruin the company's credibility and reveal its closely guarded secrets. The case has attracted widespread attention because the Justice Department's demand to peek under the hood of the Internet's most popular search engine has underscored the potential for online databases becoming tools for government surveillance.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

December 13, 2007 | Law.com

A federal judge has approved a roughly $30 million judgment against eBay Inc. more than four years after a jury concluded the online auctioneer had infringed on the patent of a small Virginia company. U.S. District Court Judge Jerome Friedman's certification edges MercExchange LLC a step closer to cashing in on its long-running battle against one of the Internet's powerhouses. But eBay still hopes to avoid writing a check.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

May 05, 2009 | New York Law Journal

Those who join the social networking site and then discontinue using it in fairly short order are more numerous than those who become habitual posters, a new study concluded.

By Michael LiedtkeThe Associated Press

2 minute read

September 27, 2005 | Law.com

A California judge ruled Friday that Visa USA and MasterCard International don't have to send individual warnings to thousands of consumers whose personal account information was stolen during a high-tech heist uncovered this year. The ruling represents a setback for a consumer lawsuit targeting Visa and MasterCard for a computer security breakdown that occurred at CardSystems Solutions, a payment processor for merchants. The breach had exposed up to 40 million credit and debit accounts to potential abuse.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read

February 21, 2006 | Law.com

Google on Friday criticized the Bush administration's demand to examine millions of its users' Internet search requests as a misguided fishing expedition that threatens to ruin the company's credibility and reveal its closely guarded secrets. The case has attracted widespread attention because the Justice Department's demand to peek under the hood of the Internet's most popular search engine has underscored the potential for online databases becoming tools for government surveillance.

By Michael Liedtke

3 minute read