Facebook Attorneys DEBATE Meaning of “Like” and 4 Tech Titans on the Move

Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB): Attorneys for Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union are hoping a federal appeals court to rule that clicking ‘‘Like’’ on the social networking site is constitutionally protected as free speech. The case is concerned with six employees fired by Hampton Sheriff B.J. Roberts after supporting his re-election opponent in 2009. One of the workers, Daniel Ray Carter, ‘‘liked’’ the Facebook page of Roberts’ opponent. According to Facebook, clicking ‘Like’ was the 21st century-equivalent of a campaign yard sign. The shares traded up $0.16 (0.77%) recently at $20.88.

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL): Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) founder Richard Schulze sees a turnaround plan involving the cutting of prices to be a better competitor against Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and other online retailers, while still ensuring that the in-store customer-service experience is up to par with Apple’s, the Wall Street Journal reports citing sources. The shares traded up $0.47 (0.08%) recently at $621.38.

Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) UK subsidiary is to pay GBP6 million in tax on GBP395 million in revenue for last year, a tally which will probably revive criticism regarding the amount the tech giant contributes to the UK’s coffers. The tax bill, revealed in a Google UK filing to Companies House on Tuesday, works out at around 1.5 percent. The shares traded up $2.01 (0.31%) recently at $642.55.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT): Dozens of job posts on Microsoft’s career page indicate that the company intends to improve design teams for next-generation Surface devices, according to CNet. Some postings say “The Surface Team focuses on building devices that fully express the Windows vision.” The shares traded up $0.18 (0.59%) recently at $30.44.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) announced a deal under which it would invest $4.1 billion in the photolithography company ASML in exchange for a 15 percent ownership stake in the company. Now, TSMC has made its own announcement. The company suggested in its last conference call that it may take this step, so it is no surprise to see it following through. The shares traded up $0.18 (0.70%) recently at $26.68.

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