Rupert Murdoch fights to take the 'sky' out of 'Skype'

[Sporkman]

Rupert Murdoch fights to take the 'sky' out of 'Skype'

BSkyB is trying to prevent Skype, the internet phone company, from continuing to use its name because the first three letters spell "sky"...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/7937549/Rupert-Murdoch-fights-to-take-the-sky-out-of-Skype.html

[chriswyatt]

Looking forward to the new rebranded Pe :)

[LowSky]

Wow this is dumb

I never heard of BSkyB or Sky in general.

Skype I have heard of for years, but I wouldn't think Sky was in any way releated to Skype.

Maybe Murdoc's News Corp will sue me because of my forum login name

[Zoot7]

So said copyright evangelist is trying to claim copyright over the word "Sky"?

Wow, I'm just waiting for the time that some corporation will copyright air and try and charge everyone to merely draw breath.

[chriswyatt]

What next? Sun are going to try and sue Sunkist?

[Kdar]

They have nothing else to do? Or just desperate?

[chriswyatt]

If they win then they've harmed a business that they don't really appear to be in competition with? Regardless of whether they win or lose they're gonna get some 'probably bad' publicity from this.

If I was Skype I wouldn't want to have any affiliation with Sky, or Rupert Murdoch because he's obviously a *snip*!

[kostkon]

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/mintkiller/facepalm.jpg

[MooPi]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.

[Jaecyn42]

I've seen this before....but where?

Oh yah, here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_v._Franken).

Some people never learn. I'm guessing this judge will mirror Judge Chin's sentiments: "wholly without merit".

[sheepo]

Wow, I'm not sure what to say about this.

I think I'm gonna out side and look at clouds in the...
Oh wait. :p

[TNT1]

With a bit of luck, God, or Allah, or Buddah or one of em will come down and sue them both for using any part of the sky...

[betrunkenaffe]

Watch out Merriam Webster, we're coming back for you!

[Joseph Schwenker]

What next? Sun are going to try and sue Sunkist?

No, they're going to sue Sunchips. :p

[TheNerdAL]

No, they're going to sue Sunchips. :p

No, they are going to sue every dad who says son. :P

[cascade9]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.

I semi-agree.

I'm sure that murdoch would like to win this, but if he doesnt, its generated publicity. Win/win in some ways.

[lisati]

Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily.

Products with the name "Sky" have been round for years.

I choose not to purchase a monthly subscription to the digital Sky TV (http://www.skytv.co.nz/) service, because the Freeview (http://freeviewnz.tv/) set top box I have already provides me with enough TV channels to keep me occupied, and that's with no monthly subscription. One thing I'm missing is the Discovery channel, but many of the shows I'm interested in (e.g. Myhbusters) end up on free-to-air anyway.

[TNT1]

Funny, I can actually see a valid point here... Sky sponsor a protour cycling team, and recently another protour team, HTC picked up Skype as a co-sponsor... I can actually see a valid point to this in the European market...

[mkendall]

So said copyright evangelist is trying to claim copyright over the word "Sky"?

Not copyright. Trademark. Different things.

[Frak]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.
Sky is a British Broadcasting company. It's not a "web portal", it's one of the largest broadcasting companies in Britain.

[jrothwell97]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.

Sky is not a "web portal." It's a satellite TV provider and broadcaster, it's massive here (recording on a PVR is generally called "sky-plussing.")

However, doesn't stop the fact it's sinister cretinousness. Let's redress that balance: don't buy Sky, use Virgin. ;)

[sqrooup]

Sky is not a "web portal." It's a satellite TV provider and broadcaster, it's massive here (recording on a PVR is generally called "sky-plussing.")

However, doesn't stop the fact it's sinister cretinousness. Let's redress that balance: don't buy Sky, use Virgin. ;)

Or Freeview (the UK version)

Murdoch wants to shut down the BBC, because it is not biased, makes quality programs, has better ratings than Sky, and because it is funded by the licence payer, has no adverts!

And BT, the largest phone company in the UK, is also offering TV services!

[andymorton]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.

In the U.K. Sky is a household name (unfortunately).

[pwnst*r]

Murdoch's an idiot.

[donkyhotay]

Wow, I'm just waiting for the time that some corporation will copyright air and try and charge everyone to merely draw breath.

Hmm...
<starts running to file copyright/patent/trademark on air>


//edit: Wait a minute, what am I doing? Trying to charge people just for breathing? What kind of a person am I? If I've learned any lessons from major corporations it's that doing so limits me to the major species on one minor planet and some of the species here don't breathe. I'm going to copyright/patent/trademark the universe, I won't charge much but everything better pay or else I'll deny them use of the universe.

[MaxIBoy]

Murdoch's an idiot.+1
I'm sure almost everyone recognizes that he's an out-of-touch, pathetic old b(uff)|(ab)oon who doesn't know what he's talking about. The problem is all the funds at his disposal.

[Viva]

I've heard that he runs the world.

[sydbat]

So said copyright evangelist is trying to claim copyright over the word "Sky"?

Wow, I'm just waiting for the time that some corporation will copyright air and try and charge everyone to merely draw breath.Pretty close here. They charge for putting air in your tires at many gas stations. I have no idea why, other than sheer greed.

[betrunkenaffe]

You can buy your own air compressor at the store and set it up outside your house so anyone can get it for free.

As mentioned, this is a trademark issue and last I heard, you can't trademark common vernacular (hence SciFi became SyFy so they could trademark). I just visited the skype and sky webpages to compare the logos, they are not similar in any way, they are not mistakably connected and I can't see how there could be confusion.

So ya, it's a publicity stunt or someone wanting to be just like Monster Cables..

[TNT1]

I've heard that he runs the world.

OMG.... What if gates finds out?

[PhoenixMaster00]

I would venture to say that Mr Murdoch has no real intention of making Skype change its name. He is simply trying to stir up interest in a little know web portal known as Sky. Before this dispute had anyone heard of Sky ? Other than the blue bliss we look at daily. Murdoch is a wily business man and does all sorts of dastardly maneuvers to get his way.

Sky isnt a little known web portal. Its the biggest TV service provider in Britain.

Anyway Murdoch must be smoking some pretty crazy stuff to think this is something even remotely worth doing. Surely there is no way this can work anyway. Skype has been around for long enough and this could open up all kinds of legal stuff :/

[Frak]

OMG.... What if Google finds out?
There we go.

[mickie.kext]

So said copyright evangelist is trying to claim copyright over the word "Sky"?

Wow, I'm just waiting for the time that some corporation will copyright air and try and charge everyone to merely draw breath.

I think this here is trademark issue. But other than that, I agree.

Registered Trademark wears of if not aggressively protected, and since Skype is around for years under that name, I think Murdoch lost his chance. Under trademark law(in most countries), if you don't sue on time means that you don't care if your brand gets diluted. And you can't get your trademark back when it gets diluted.

Besides, it is not same name, just remotely similar.

[TNT1]

There we go.

Ah, right, sorry, my mistake...:D