Sky Sues Skype for Trademark Infringement in the EU-and Wins

By

Skype, Sky…what’s the difference?

To European consumers, apparently it’s nil. The General Court of the European Union has ruled that the logo for the Skype video chat service would confuse end users, leading them to believe that Skype, the communications app, is actually Sky, the enormous satellite giant with fingers in markets all over the EU.

The ruling is a result of a trademark dispute lawsuit that Sky has brought. Microsoft, which owns Skype, is thus prevented from registering the logo in Europe.

Image via Shutterstock

Concerning the logo, “conceptually, the figurative element conveys no concept, except perhaps that of a cloud … [this] would further increase the likelihood of the element ‘Sky’ being recognized within the word element ‘Skype’, for clouds are to be found ‘in the sky’ and thus may readily be associated with the word ‘sky,’” the Court explained.

The word “sky” is indeed a rather common one—and as such crops up in brand names of all stripes. In the U.S., attempting to trademark it in all of its usage forms would be like trademarking the word ”sock”—it’s too generic to warrant protection. But Sky is apparently having none of that.

Sky has sued Microsoft before: last year the software giant had to rebrand its SkyDrive storage product as “OneDrive,” after the London High Court found that that “Sky” infringed on THE “Sky.”

Microsoft plans to appeal in the European Court of Justice. “We’re confident that no confusion exists between these brands and service,” it said. “This decision does not require us to alter product names in any way.”

Sky said that even though Skype in no way competes with its pay-TV services, “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.”



Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

TechZone360 Contributor

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

What Is Attribute Based Access Control?

By: Contributing Writer    12/5/2023

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) represents a paradigm shift in managing access rights within complex and dynamic IT environments. Unlike traditi…

Read More

Raising Value: The Strategic Gains of Embracing Bundled Result

By: Contributing Writer    12/4/2023

Where the concept of value is not just a price tag but a carefully crafted now. In a world brimming with options, the art of planned bundling has aris…

Read More

Tech Innovation in iGaming

By: Contributing Writer    11/29/2023

iGaming is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet. For those who may not be aware, iGaming refers to online casinos, online slots, poke…

Read More

8 Underrated Features of Your Mobile Device You Probably Didn't Know About

By: Contributing Writer    11/21/2023

It is easy to get lost in all the new phone releases when multiple happen yearly. Consequently, most new functions go unnoticed because people do not …

Read More

Navigating the Launch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Bringing Your Product to Market

By: Contributing Writer    11/15/2023

Embarking on the journey to bring a new product into the marketplace is an exhilarating adventure that blends the thrill of innovation with the meticu…

Read More