eBay settles Skype software suit

April 15th, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO - Online auction house eBay said Tuesday that it plans to spin off its online telephony business Skype via an initial public offering by the middle of next year. The announcement was seen as an admission by the auction powerhouse that its $2.6-billion purchase of Skype in 2005 had not worked out as expected.

July 31st, 2009 EBay working on alternative software for SkypeSAN FRANCISCO — EBay Inc. is developing software it might use to continue running the online telecommunications service Skype if it cannot resolve a legal dispute with a separate company run by the service's founders.

September 1st, 2009 EBay Skype to sell stake in SkypeSAN JOSE, Calif. — EBay Inc.

September 16th, 2009 Skype founders file lawsuit against eBaySAN FRANCISCO — A company owned by the founders of Skype has filed a copyright infringement suit against the Internet phone service and parent eBay Inc. — an action that could crimp eBay's plans to sell Skype for about $2 billion to a group of private investors.

April 11th, 2009 Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who sold Skype to eBay four years ago for $2.6 billion, wants to buy them back. Yeah, weird may it sound but that is what is buzzing around in the technology world right now.

October 21st, 2009 EBay 3Q net income down 29 pct though revenue roseSAN FRANCISCO — EBay Inc. said Tuesday that even as third-quarter net income dipped 29 percent, its revenue rose largely because more people and merchants are using PayPal to pay for things online.

December 30th, 2005 Sony finally settles the class action lawsuit filed in California caused by their highly controversial decision to install a rootkit for DRM protection of their music CD’s. If you are a Sony CD customer read the full details below to claim your rights.

September 1st, 2009 EBay to sell part of telecom service Skype for $2BNEW YORK — EBay Inc. is trading control of the online telecommunications service Skype for about $2 billion, reversing a 2005 acquisition that many analysts considered a head scratcher from the beginning.

September 1st, 2009 EBay partially undoes Skype deal, selling majoritySAN FRANCISCO — Rather than enduring the uncertainty of spinning off the Skype telecommunications service through a public stock offering, eBay Inc. has found a different way out: It is selling the majority of Skype for about $2 billion to a group of private investors.

July 22nd, 2009 Economy keeps hurting eBay as 2Q profit fallsSAN FRANCISCO — The recession continued to hurt eBay Inc. in the second quarter, as earnings and revenue fell amid a sales decline in the main online marketplace, overshadowing growth in its payments and Skype communications units.

August 26th, 2006 Chief executive Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, who turned fugitive, has been tracked down in Sri Lanka by a private investigator based on a one-minute Skype call he made from Columbo. Alexander, aged 54, faces fraud charges over a stock options scandal involving the voicemail software firm he founded, Comverse.

September 17th, 2009 EBay calls on EU to change luxury brand rulesBRUSSELS — EBay Inc. called Thursday on the European Union to change antitrust rules that allow luxury manufacturers to choose who can sell their branded goods online.

May 30th, 2006 New York Post confirmed that Microsoft has been involved in top secret discussions to buy eBay. Apparently Microsoft wants to merge eBay into its MSN portal as part of its "war" against Google.

October 14th, 2009 EBay to lay off several dozen employeesSAN FRANCISCO — EBay Inc. expects to lay off several dozen workers as part of an internal restructuring plan.

May 17th, 2006 Skype 2.5 introduced strong stealth techniques in the software to make it harder to detect and block using ip filtering techniques. Unfortunately it has been cracked.