How long will it be until News Corps honcho Rupert Murdoch goes after those using the word “My” because of MySpace or Disney because its animated classic The Fox And The Hound has the word “Fox” in its title?

The Telegraph's Rupert Neate reports that Murdoch's BSkyB “has been ensconced in a legal battle with Skype for more than five years” because “because customer[s] might assume that 'Skype' is part of Sky.”

Neate writes:

A spokesman for Sky, which is 39.1pc-owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, said the company was trying to prevent Skype from using its trademark in relation to the sale of TV or internet service, because customer might assume that 'Skype' is part of Sky.

“Sky is involved in a long-running dispute with Skype in relation to several trade mark applications filed by Skype, including, but not limited to, television-related goods and services,” the spokesman said. “The key contention in the dispute is that the brands 'Sky' and 'Skype' will be considered confusingly similar by members of the public.”

[...]

Sky said it has taken legal action against a string of companies for attempting to piggyback on the “Sky” brand.