Hasta La Gadget!

You might be familiar with SkyDrive, Microsoft’s cloud based data storage. The company has put in a lot of resources in to building up this brand, particularly in the competitive cloud storage niche where you have players like Dropbox and Apple’s iCloud. Recently, a UK court gave its verdict on a lawsuit brought by BSkyB, which claimed that Microsoft was infringing on its trademark through the SkyDrive brand. The court ruled in favor of BSkyB. Both companies have now reached a settlement.

Microsoft won’t be appealing the court’s verdict, meaning that it is going to rename SkyDrive. In the meantime, BSkyB has agreed to let it use the brand for a “reasonable” time to ensure smooth transition. Details of this settlement have not been revealed, it is said that various financial terms are part of the settlement as well. A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed the agreement, saying that company is “glad” that the dispute has now finally been resolved. As to what Microsoft will now brand its cloud storage service, that will remain a mystery for the next couple of weeks.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Microsoft To Rename SkyDrive Following Court Verdict original content from Ubergizmo.

BSkyB started investing in Roku last year and it’s leveraged that involvement to develop this new Now TV set-top box. Going on sale today for just £9.99 (including shipping), it brings a rebranded Roku 2 XD (no gaming remote) with software built for Sky’s IPTV platform and a curated list of additional channels. Notably missing from the list are Netflix, Lovefilm, ITV Player, and 4oD, however Now TV (of course), iPlayer, Demand Five, Spotify, Facebook and several Sky channels are included. It gives up a bit in flexibility compared to the standard player, but the ultra-low entry price certainly makes for a compelling option. Roku is facing more competition than ever with new game consoles, Google’s Chromecast and even Apple’s TV ambitions, we’ll see if partnering with traditional providers makes it the “operating system for TVs” CEO Anthony Wood wants it to be.

For Sky, this is just part of a multi-pronged plan to move its TV offerings into the future, detailed in today’s earnings report. Starting in September it will offer a WiFi equipped Sky+HD box to customers as the standard, and low cost wireless adapters to those with older hardware that isn’t already connected. It’s also enhancing Sky Go, with plans to add 10 new channels in the next year while marketing Sky Go Extra more. Finally, it’s adding more content to the Catch Up TV and Sky Store VOD bundle — check the PDF linked below for more details.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Now TV, Sky FY 2013 earnings (PDF)

While many can tell the difference between Sky TV services and Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage, that’s not necessarily true for everyone. A British court certainly thinks there’s room for confusion: it has ruled that SkyDrive infringes BSkyB’s trademarks on the Sky name in both the UK and the European Union. The presiding judge didn’t believe that Microsoft’s use of the “sky” prefix was absolutely necessary, and she showed evidence that at least some of the general public didn’t understand which company made what. Microsoft says it plans to appeal the verdict, although there’s no guarantee that it will have to relabel SkyDrive if the appeal falls through. Some past trademark lawsuits have led to fines instead of name changes, and we suspect Microsoft would rather pay out than lose brand recognition across a whole continent.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Internet, HD, Microsoft

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: BAILII

Despite its image as an underdog, Roku knows how to court some heavy hitters in the TV business: on top of a total $80 million in previous investments, it just received a $60 million boost this week. The new funding round has BSkyB and News Corp returning with checkbooks in hand, but it also includes a fresh contribution from Hearst, which wants Roku’s help in building services for its TV channels. The media hub maker is getting more than partnerships in return, however. It’s using the cash to expand its Roku Ready program, which now includes 24 hardware partners. The company’s Anthony Wood ultimately wants Roku software to be commonplace — it can be an “operating system for televisions,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. While there’s no guarantee that Roku will reach that kind of ubiquity, it may well have the cash to get there.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: Chip Chick

Source: Hollywood Reporter

British Sky Broadcasting Group otherwise known as BSkyB has announced that it will purchase Telefonica’s fixed-line business within the UK. That fixed-line business covers both broadband and telephony businesses. The purchase will cost BSkyB $303 million (£200million) and the deal was announced early today.

The deal isn’t complete just yet and is subject to regulatory clearance. The two companies expect the deal to close in April. If the deal receives regulatory approvals Telefonica UK customers will be moved from existing O2 and BE broadband and will become Sky customers.

The deal will make Sky the UK’s second largest Internet provider putting it behind BT and ahead of Virgin Media in size. The deal breaks down to £180 million for Telefonica’s broadband business. An additional £20 million will be granted conditionally. The condition for that extra money is the “successful delivery completion of the customer migration process.”

According to reports, Telefonica’s broadband fixed line service has seen its customer base shrinking. The company peaked at 671,000 customers and then declined to its current 560,000 customer range. Many companies within the UK are keen to acquire other firms so this isn’t likely to be the only consolidation in the UK market for telecommunications this year.

[via Gigaom]

BSkyB spends $303 million on Telefonica UK fixed line business is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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