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What identifies the big players in tech? Revenue may indicate it, mindshare too. But truly deep pockets get targeted by high-profile lawsuits. Take, for example, the lawsuits filed against the Big Three this month, here listed from most worthy to most frivolous.

  • Days after a Los Angeles plaintiff relented on a lawsuit against Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage program, a group of Washington users sued over the same program, which arguably counts as spyware. The claim looks reasonable, though Microsoft says it's meritless. [Seattle Times]
  • The record industry, which always does these things in groups, will take a break from suing children and the elderly to sue Yahoo China. The basic thrust is that Yahoo helps its users find pirated music. In the U.S., that sort of linking is safe, but the music heavyweights are exploiting China's tougher Internet laws. [Boing Boing]
  • And, of course, another site sued Google for its poor search ranking. This case gets press just for not being thrown out of court. The irony? The plaintiff is a search engine, and its suit claims it can't get any traffic without that sweet Google rank. Why this company's setting itself up for a public execution is anyone's guess. [CNET]