EU court finds Skype’s name too similar to Sky broadcaster’s

Microsoft has lost another legal battle against British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), after a European court found Skype’s name to be too similar to the latter’s. The judges also ruled that the service’s cloud-like logo “would further increase the likelihood of the element ‘Sky’ being recognized within the word element ‘Skype.’” Redmond lost a similar case to the same broadcaster in court years ago, prompting the company to completely change the name of its cloud service from SkyDrive to OneDrive. Fortunately for Microsoft, it doesn’t have to change Skype’s name this time around — it merely can’t file a trademark registration for the product’s name and logo.

“The case was not a legal challenge to Skype’s use of the mark, it was only against the registration,” an MS spokesperson said. “We’re confident that no confusion exists between these brands and services and will appeal. This decision does not require us to alter product names in any way.” The tech titan said it has other measures in place to prevent European companies from using the name and logo of its popular chat messenger, even if it can’t legally register them in the continent.

In addition to these two cases against Microsoft, BSkyB also took Livescribe to court for its Sky smartpens, forcing the company to pull the product from its UK store. Clearly, any company manufacturing a product with the word “sky” in its name may want to think of an alternative before releasing it in Europe… just in case.

Filed under: Misc, Microsoft

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Source: BBC

Which keyboards are worth buying?

When you consider how much time we spend in front of our computers, how we interact with them should be a key concern. That said, unless you’re a gamer or programmer, you probably haven’t done much shopping around. Last month, we took a look at some of the best gaming keyboards that have come out recently. Now, we turn our gaze to some newer models designed for uses other than playing your favorite PC games — including ones for work, controlling your home theater and portable units you can carry around in your bag for typing on the go.

Filed under: Peripherals, Microsoft

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Microsoft is reportedly making high-end Windows phones again

One of the biggest gripes among Windows phone devotees is a lack of high-powered devices as of late. How are you supposed to be a hardcore fan when most of the lineup is downright basic? At last, though, Microsoft appears to be catering to that need for speed. Both Unleash the Phones and The Verge understand that the Redmond crew is working on two range-topping Windows 10 phones, nicknamed Cityman and Talkman in a nod to Nokia’s early handsets. They’d both be powerhouses with Quad HD screens, 3GB of RAM, 20-megapixel rear cameras, 5-megapixel front shooters and 32GB of expandable storage. It’d really boil down to your preference of screen size. The Talkman would be the mid-size model with a 5.2-inch display and a six-core processor (likely the LG G4’s Snapdragon 808), while the Cityman would up the ante with a 5.7-inch screen and an eight-core (possibly Snapdragon 810) chip.

There aren’t many details of what’s special about either gadget, although they should have a couple of tricks up their sleeves. They’d both have three-tone camera flashes (theoretically more accurate than their two-tone rivals), and the Cityman would get accessories to make the most of Windows 10’s phone-as-PC feature. Whatever they’re capable of, you probably won’t see them for a while if the reports are accurate. These devices are linked closely to Windows 10, which won’t reach phones until sometime after it arrives on computers this summer.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: Unleash the Phones, The Verge