In a recent case of Microsoft trademark infringement:
Microsoft Corp. will change the name of its SkyDrive cloud storage service following a U.K. court finding in June that it infringed a trademark held by British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC, (the companies said). Microsoft and Sky have reached a settlement in the wake of a U.K. High Court of Justice ruling that found against Microsoft in a trademark infringement dispute over its SkyDrive cloud storage service. Under the deal, Microsoft will not appeal the U.K. court ruling and Sky will allow the software giant to continue using the SkyDrive name “for a reasonable period of time to allow for an orderly transition to a new brand,” according to a joint statement the companies released Wednesday. —Law360, August 01, 2013
Even giants like Microsoft can’t bully their way past a conflict of their own making.
Here in this case of trademark infringement, Microsoft adopted the “Sky” name for a cloud storage service after Britain’s Sky Broadcasting had already established itself as a player in the internet arena. Microsoft tried to argue that the word “sky” should be available to anyone who wants to engage in cloud computing, but the U.K. courts found that ordinary customers wouldn’t make a natural connection between “sky” and “cloud.” In Cook Alex’s opinion, Microsoft couldn’t get past its own internal thinking; that because sky storage meant cloud storage to them, ordinary people should think so, too…a classic case of group mentality within big corporations.
“We will remain vigilant in protecting the Sky brand and will continue to take appropriate action against those companies who seek to use our trade mark without consent,” (Sky Broadcasting concluded).
Read the full story “Microsoft To Change SkyDrive Name After UK Trademark Loss” by Scott Flaherty of Law360 here.
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