Ruling In Microsoft-Google Case Expected

CRN | Breaking News | Ruling In Microsoft-Google Case Expected: "A Washington state judge said he would rule on Tuesday whether a top Microsoft executive who defected to rival Google can perform the job Google hired him for until his case goes to trial in January.
Kai-Fu Lee, who joined Microsoft in 2000, joined Google in July to lead Google's expansion into China.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft has sued Lee and Google, contending that Lee's job at Google would violate the terms of the noncompete agreement, which prohibits him from doing similar work for a rival for a year. Microsoft also accuses Lee of using insider information to get his job at Mountain View, Calif.-based Google.
In a hearing that concluded Wednesday, Microsoft asked Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez to restrict what work Lee can do for Google until its lawsuit goes to trial early next year.
Google's immediate, stated reasons for hiring Lee were to have him create an engineering office in China, but Lee is also an expert in computer recognition of language -- an important field for search engines such as Google. "