Google yesterday asked a California Superior Court judge in Santa Clara County to invalidate what it said was an "overreaching and unlawful" noncompete agreement – central to Microsoft’s lawsuit against former vice-president Kai-Fu Lee, who was hired by Google to head its new research center and operations in China – reports ZDNet (Reuters).
Google contends that the clause violates California laws giving workers the right to change jobs, writes Business Week (AP), quoting Nicole Wong, Google’s associate general counsel, as saying that Microsoft’s restriction is "clearly an illegal restraint of trade…Google is trying to create an environment for innovators. Microsoft is focused on litigation and intimidation."
Search giant Google is a growing competitor of software giant Microsoft – which is threatening to threaten Google in the search arena.
Source: Marketingvox