Think of this one as a little tidbit to enjoy with your morning coffee! BSkyB, the owner of the Sky TV brand and a large portion of mogul Rupert Murdoch's media empire, has claimed that Skype's trademark application is confusingly similar to the extant Sky TV trademark.

You might be tittering at the stupidity, but apparently BSkyB even has consumer research to back up its claims! People actually get Skype and Sky confused. And, get this, the European Courts has recently also ruled in BSkyB's favor -- though, of course, Skype says it will appeal the decision.

This all comes as Skype seeks more funding with an IPO, and the trademark issue is mentioned in the filing. There's a very good chance that Skype won't be able to operate without Sky's permission (which will surely cost a licensing fee!) -- that, or they'll have to change their name.

It's not like 'Skype' ever really meant anything though, right?

Murdoch claims Skype's name is too close to his own 'Sky'... and the EU rules in his favor originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype - Rupert Murdoch - European Union - British Sky Broadcasting - Download Squad