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Court rules 'Skype' can't be trademarked, too close to 'Sky'
2015-05-06 09:13:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) The General Court of the EU has ruled that Microsoft-owned VoIP service Skype's name is too similar to that of satellite operator Sky, and could lead to consumer confusion. BBC News reports that although Skype can continue to use its name, it cannot register a trademark for the name or the bubble-design logo. The judges wrote, "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'." Microsoft brought the case on appeal to challenge a ruling by the EU Office for Harmonisation of Internal Markets which said the two words were too similar for Sky to obtain an EU-wide trademark. Microsoft plans to appeal the latest decision.
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Category:Telecommunications