A California appeals court upheld most of Proposition 22, the 2020 ballot measure impacting gig workers. The decision — a victory for Uber and Lyft, among the companies spending upward of $200 million to support the measure — overturned a 2021 California Superior Court decision that found the proposition “unenforceable.” The Service Employees International Union, party to the lawsuit challenging Prop 22, is expected to appeal to the California Supreme Court, which may hear or reject the case at its discretion. Either way, that result can then be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Continue reading California Upholds Most of Prop 22 in Win for Gig Companies

The California Assembly introduced a law that would require Amazon Flex, Postmates, Uber and other similar companies to treat their gig economy contractors as employees, with the wages and benefits of that classification. The bill, which was approved 53 to 11, comes only a few weeks after Uber’s IPO was met with a brief strike by ride-hail drivers around the world protesting their low pay and contractor status. The bill now heads to the Democratic-controlled state senate where it is likely to be signed into law. Continue reading California Considers Law That Would Reclassify Gig Workers

In California Supreme Court in San Diego this week, Qualcomm charged Apple with stealing computer source code, software development tools and log files of data about its products’ performance and giving it to Intel, with the goal of reducing its need for Qualcomm chips. The two tech behemoths have been involved in a legal battle since last year, when Qualcomm accused Apple of a “multiyear campaign of sloppy, inappropriate and deceitful conduct to steal Qualcomm’s information and trade secrets” to help Intel. Continue reading Qualcomm Alleges Apple Shared Trade Secrets to Help Intel