Apple lawyer to leave for Qualcomm

Apple lawyer to leave for Qualcomm

	Published : Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:48 By : Agencies Print this Story

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - In a shuffle between companies with legal challenges spanning the globe, Apple Inc. general counsel Donald Rosenberg is leaving for Qualcomm Inc. after just 10 months in the post.

Oracle Corp. general counsel Daniel Cooperman, 56, will replace Rosenberg on Nov. 1, Apple said Friday.

Rosenberg, 56, joined Apple last November, when the maker of iPod players and Macintosh computers was in the thick of a stock options scandal. His predecessor there, Nancy Heinen, is now fighting civil charges that she fraudulently backdated stock-options awards to the executive team and a grant to CEO Steve Jobs.

Jobs has a reputation as a tough boss, and his Cupertino-based company maintains an overflowing plate of legal work. In addition to shareholder lawsuits, Apple stays busy building and defending a large portfolio of patents and faces copyright concerns and anticompetitive complaints from a string of European agencies over its iTunes-iPod franchise.

Rosenberg, who spent more than 30 years at International Business Machines Corp. before joining Apple, is jumping to another general counsel post brimming with challenges.

San Diego-based Qualcomm, the world's second-largest provider of cellular phone chips, is under investigation in the U.S., Europe and Asia for antitrust claims that were initiated by rival Nokia Corp. and other wireless industry heavyweights. The company also faces ongoing patent battles with Nokia and Broadcom Corp.

Rosenberg starts at Qualcomm Oct. 8, replacing Lou Lupin, who resigned in August after a string of legal setbacks and an embarrassing rebuke by a San Diego judge who said Qualcomm was dishonest and committed 'legal malpractice.'

Carol Lam, one of eight U.S. attorneys fired by the Bush administration this year, was named interim replacement, but Qualcomm wanted someone with general counsel experience, said Emily Kilpatrick, a Qualcomm spokeswoman.

Rosenberg 'was our top candidate from the beginning,' Kilpatrick said.

Apple did not disclose why Rosenberg left.

'We thank Don for his contributions to Apple during the past 10 months and wish him well in his future endeavors,' Jobs said in a statement. Cooperman 'will be an excellent addition to our team and will fit right into Apple's fast-paced culture.'

Apple spokeswoman Susan Lundgren declined to comment further, and she said Rosenberg and Cooperman were both declining interviews.

Cooperman, who became Oracle's general counsel in February 1997, is chairman of the Software & Information Industry Association, the software industry's largest trade group. Prior to Oracle, he was a partner with the San Francisco-based law firm of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen.

At business software giant Oracle, Cooperman served under CEO Larry Ellison, who is a longtime friend of Jobs and once sat on Apple's board of directors.

Oracle said 48-year-old Dorian Daley, corporate counsel since 1992, will become the new general counsel.

Shares of Apple closed Friday at $153.47, down $1.03, while Qualcomm rose 3 cents to $42.26 and Oracle gained 2 cents to $21.65.

AP Business Writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this story.