Rupert Murdoch Suing The Sky Out Of Skype
from the good-luck-with-that dept
With Skype announcing a planned IPO this week, there didn’t seem to be that much to comment on. However, people digging through the filing found one previously unknown tidbit that’s generating some buzz. Apparently, the Rupert Murdoch-owned satellite broadcasting company BskyB has been involved in a long legal battle with Skype over its name. Apparently, BSkyB thinks anything using the letters “sky” infringes on its trademark. Of course, it’s difficult to see how anyone could possibly be confused, but BSkyB claims to have market research that says otherwise, and apparently an EU ruling has agreed — though Skype is planning to appeal.
Comments on “Rupert Murdoch Suing The Sky Out Of Skype”
Never heard of BSkyB Before -eom
BskyB who?
So are they gonna sue Sky.com? Sky and Telescope magazine? Sky.FM? Sky News? The Chicago Sky (WNBA)? I mean come on people. get a life!
Re: BskyB who?
They’re unlikely to sue sky.com: they ARE sky.com.
Re: Re: BskyB who?
I believe they’re Sky News as well….
Re: Re: Re: BskyB who?
But will that really stop them from suing themselves?
Re: BskyB who?
They also own Sky News 🙂
Skyy
Gonna havta change vodkas, I guess.
Re: Skyy
Meh, be a man and switch to Irish whiskey…
Re: Re: Skyy
Real men drink pure ethanol!
But, real real men drink ethernet.
Re: Re: Re: Skyy
“But, real real men drink ethernet.”
I have too much fiber in my diet for ethernet….
Re: Re: Skyy
Don’t you mean Whisky?
Re: Re: Re: Skyy
Dammit, can’t believe I just did that….
and don't forget ....
all those books, songs & poems that use the word sky. Some lawyer somewhere is going to get very rich !
BSkyB
News Corp. only own 38% of BSkyB, not even a majority, rendering the title incorrect.
@Berenerd British Sky Broadcasting “BSkyB” trades as Sky. It owns Sky.com and Sky News. It sells TV, Internet and Phone in the UK and has an all lower-case logo (a bit like skype).
Pe?
So when Skype loses, they have to change their name to.. Pe?
I almost want Murdoch to win this one.
Re: Pe?
I always liked iTalkIP.
Re: Re: Pe?
They should raise their middle fingers and change the name to Murtalk.
advertising.com
Didn’t you just cover a similar story about advertising.com loosing just such a clam?
Re: advertising.com
Loose? Perhaps they should have had tighter control.
I feel like the faster Rupert Murdoch………moves on to a better place, to put it nicely……the better off the world will be. I wonder if there’s a special ring in hell for greedy a$$holes that abuse their power like this.
Re: Re:
If so that means I certainly won’t be seeing any politicians down there. Such a wonderful thought; I hope its true.
skynet cant come too soon with all this foolishness…
too slow!
I was just about to mail you this one across.
bloody ridiculous from murdoch again
How the hell did Skype lose that muppet of a case? Anyone with half a brain can see they are not the same.
Is there a full moon out? One company is filing a trademark infringement lawsuit for an infringement that has yet to happen. And now you have Murdoch suing a company because it has the word ‘sky’ in it’s name.
SkyDrive
Will Microsoft be suied over their use of the term skydrive with Office 2010. I bet not as Microsoft are a little large for that. Is this a case of just bullying by someone more powerful. Dont look up the s_y is falling.
Please!
If it were BSkype or even SkypeB you would think that justified. However it isnt.
Maybe The BBC Should Sue BSkyB
The company name has the same number of Bs in it, which clearly makes it confusingly similar.
This just in
In a crazy turn of events, the makers of KY Jelly are suing Newscorp for the use of their “ky” in their sky brand. They have further justified this claim by exhibiting key survey respondents who couldn’t differentiate the two companies when asked which one provides a stimulating entertainment experience.
What is this blue thing up in the air? Let’s sue nature too, Sky…
Next, sue all those people that claim that the Sky is falling, as that’s clearly slander!
GFY, Murdoch, and crawl back under your bridge.
Spam
Hmm. Seems we have the smell of spam wafting in from the sewers!
Pe?
just one more ‘e’ in the end, then voila! You know what I mean.