While Microsoft was promoting the use of its SkyDrive service for Windows 8.1 at this week's BUILD Conference, the company lost a fight over the SkyDrive trademark itself in a UK courtroom on Friday. The judge in the case ruled that the use of the SkyDrive label violates the trademarks of the UK pay TV provider BSkyB, which is owned by News Corporation.
According to TechCrunch, News Corporation filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in 2011, claiming that BSkyB offers up mobile apps and an online streaming service under the Sky brand that are cloud-based as the basis of their legal fight. Microsoft has claimed that its SkyDrive cloud data storage service could not be easily confused with Sky's streaming video services. However, in her ruling on Friday, Justice Sarah Asplin felt differently and said that Microsoft's use of the SkyDrive name was in fact detrimental to News Corporation's Sky trademark.
Microsoft has already announced it plans to appeal the ruling of Justice Asplin. Assuming that further court rulings are not in Microsoft's favor, it may have to change the name of SkyDrive in Europe, pay a fine or both. The story mentions that News Corporation previously filed a lawsuit against Skype a number of years ago, under a similar premise, but that legal fight apparently didn't go anywhere.
Source: TechCrunch | Image via Microsoft
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