Skype name is treading on Sky's toes in Europe, decides court

[HEXUS]

In 2014 Microsoft had to rebrand its SkyDrive to OneDrive after similar court action.

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[LSG501]

good old Murdoch (pretty sure it's still owned by him).... seriously sky and skype, they look and sound nothing alike, does he (or his cronies) really think we're all that stupid to confuse them... oh wait...he put his newspaper websites behind paywalls and then profits dropped

[TheAnimus]

I think that Sky is far too generic term to be offered such protection.... Not to mention it's been there logo for over a decade, so I would have thought Sky have been to slow to prevent it.

But then trademark law always manages to disappoint me.

[SciFi]

Skipe << There fixed

[McEwin]

So basically any word with the letters s-k-y in it can no longer be used in Europe because the word "sky" didn't exist before the company Sky invented it. And who is confused, really? Pathetic.

[crossy]

Yesterday, at the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg, judges upheld a 2005 ruling that the Skype name and logo sound and look too similar to Sky.

... only if you're blind, daft or in the pocket of the God-Emperor Murdoch.

Seriously, I honestly can't see how anyone could mistake "Sky" for "Skype". Are the BBC going to be asked to pull that old detective series "Pie in the Sky", ELO going to be asked to withdraw "Mr Blue Sky", etc.

Equally daft, and damn you EU-judges for putting me on the same side as UKIP.

[Saracen]

....

Equally daft, and damn you EU-judges for putting me on the same side as UKIP.

Well, they are one of UKIP's best recruiting forces.

[Percy1983]

I think we need to blue sky thinking to solve this... oh wait sky own that too...

[Brian224]

Is KasperSKY next on Murdock's list?

[ik9000]

Not to mention suing Allsopp and Allsopp the current sponsors of Coventry City. After all, the Sky Blues being sponsored by another company surely confuses the public...?!

[cjs150]

Unbelievable idiots!

So no one can have a computer technology product using a name that has the letters "sky" at the beginning - I guess they will have to rename the James Bond film "Skyfall" then!

To be fair this is a ruling about trademarks. I can only assume that the EU judges start from the assumption that every EU citizen is functionally illiterate.

Also I am fairly sure that Sky started offering telephone calls years after Skype started. Maybe there should be a countersuit to require Sky to change the name of their telephone service

[ik9000]

Also I am fairly sure that Sky started offering telephone calls years after Skype started. Maybe there should be a countersuit to require Sky to change the name of their telephone service

I'd love to see that!

I have a friend called Sky. Do they have to get their name changed by deedpoll? Otherwise when they phone someone their screen will say "Sky calling" and they might get confused and think that the phone company is trying to speak to them.

[ik9000]

Is KasperSKY next on Murdock's list?

to be honest the sky's the limit with this one...

Besides they can easily rebrand to Kasperspy

[Smikis]

Noone even knows Sky outside of UK, yet everyone knew what skype is for over decade now.. seriously....

[Saracen]

Just to remove some of the hot air, this decision does NOT require MS to change the name of Skype. So, for instance, ik9000, your friend doesn't have to change her name .... unless she's trying to register her name as a Trademark.

And Kaspersky are safe. This judgement is about Sky and Skype being too clise for trademarks, not about Sky and anything else.

I hate to ruin a good rant, but it's getting quite a long way ahead of itself.

[kastagir]

Ridiculous..

Dear Bethesda,

In your latest title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we noticed you used the word Sky.

Please change the name immediately or our back pocket judges will be coming for you...