Member Avatar for kc0arf
kc0arf 68 Posting Virtuoso

The case between Google and Microsoft over executive Kal-Fu Lee began this week in court. According to reports, the case already has both sides trowing mud at each other.

Some of you may recall that Kal-Fu Lee, a former executive of Microsoft, recently left the company and joined Google in a role that would help Google interact with the Chinese language and technology. Microsoft sued both Lee and Google because of a non-compete clause in Lee's contract. Lee and Google feel that Lee's hiring is legal and appropariate.

Reports from people observing the case show that Lee was embarassed by Microsoft's business processes, such as inappropariate language inside of high-level meetings, accusations that Microsoft failed to fulfill outsourcing work to the Chinese people, and violent tirades from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer that included physical demonstrations of anger.

Lee has countered that he has worked for various companies, including Apple Computer, on projects concerning the Chinese market, such as developing business relationships in China, and developing business opportunities there.

Clearly, there are a lot of things yet to be resolved in this case. Stay tuned.

  • 1 Contributor
  • 0 Replies
  • 116 Views

Dani AI

Generated

As observed, the headline here is less about personalities and more about how courts treat post‑employment restraints. The most useful, long‑term angle for anyone reading this years later is to understand the legal framework that decides whether a former employer can block a new hire — and where to find primary records if this case matters to you.

Enforceability turns on jurisdiction and the contract’s language. Some states (notably California) generally bar non‑compete clauses; elsewhere courts will test whether a covenant is reasonable in time, geography and scope and whether it protects a legitimate business interest (trade secrets, customer relationships). For a concise legal primer and the California statute, see and California Business and Professions Code Section 16600.

To verify what actually happened in any particular suit: pull the court filings. For federal matters use PACER and for state suits use the applicable state court portal; search by party names to find complaints, motions for temporary injunctions, and orders. High‑profile disputes are also collated in news archives and on summary pages such as the subject’s Wikipedia entry, which can point to contemporaneous sources (see the Kai‑Fu Lee page for a timeline and citations).

Practical takeaways: employees facing a move should review their contract and state law, avoid taking proprietary files, and get counsel early. Employers should prefer narrowly tailored NDAs, trade‑secret policies, and garden‑leave arrangements if enforceability is a concern. This is general information and not legal advice.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.