Jacob Roper, a spokesman for the California controller's office, which oversees unclaimed property, said that over the past five years, the state has increased its efforts to notify property owners, including cross referencing tax records for addresses. California is now the only state to attempt to notify owners before their property is turned over.

His attorney, Bill Palmer, helped Glickman recover much of the value of his shares through an agreement with Apple and Computershare. Apple declined to comment. Computershare declined to comment.

But Palmer says Glickman never would have gone through the ordeal in the first place if it weren't for the state's unclaimed property law.

"He spent a lot of time trying to fix all this," Palmer said. "He also had to pay an attorney, which he never should have had to."