Rupert Murdoch could be about to make Skype change its name

[JMH]

SKYPE HAS BECOME a household name over the last decade or so, but that name could be about to change.

The video messaging service, a predominantly free one, has been involved in a protracted intellectual property battle with Rupert Murdoch’s news giant Sky PLC for over a decade now.

Skype has for some time been the dominant video messager, both for keeping in touch with friends and family across the globe, but also to a greater and greater extent for businesses worldwide, for everything from interviewing candidates to video conference calling with clients.

Yesterday, the EU’s Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) ruled in a judgement that Sky’s opposition to Skype’s trademark is valid, both because Skype contains the letters ‘sky’ and also as the two brands haven’t existed side by side for long enough to rule out the likelihood of confusion.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/skype-may-name-change-193125291.html#BmWTCGd

 

[xilolee]

Uhm... Next time skyscrapers will change their name.
And the sky, too.

 

[bassfisher6522]

Freaking ridiculous.....

 

[JMH]

EU court rules “Skype” is too similar to “Sky,” blocks trademark application

Would you confuse "Skype" with "Sky"? It's tough, I know, but in attempting to trademark the Skype name and bubble logo, the General Court of the European Union has ruled that the name of Microsoft's Skype is so similar to British broadcaster Sky the public is likely to confuse the two.

According to the BBC, judges at the court said that "conceptually, the figurative element conveys no concept, except perhaps that of a cloud. [That] would further increase the likelihood of the element 'Sky' being recognised within the word element 'Skype,' for clouds are to be found 'in the sky' and thus may readily be associated with the word 'sky'." Whether or not Skype's logo really resembles "that of a cloud," Microsoft is intending to appeal the decision.

If the decision sticks, Sky could potentially ask Microsoft for a licensing fee to use the Skype name in Europe, although the broadcaster hasn't indicated it wishes to do so. "This [case] relates to a long-running dispute with Skype over the extension of its trademark applications to cover a broad range of goods and services that overlap with Sky's own trademark registrations," Sky said in a statement. "Our intention has been to protect the Sky brand with our research showing that similarities in name and logo have the potential to confuse customers."

EU court rules ?Skype? is too similar to ?Sky,? blocks trademark application | Ars Technica

 

[xilolee]

What about copyrighting the SKY?
It should be sky to pay every human beings (and animals) a tax. Shouldn't it?

 

[bassfisher6522]

It's utter poo poo caca......BS!!!!!