socialmedian: Founders close in on deal over Skype dispute

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Founders close in on deal over Skype dispute

Source: The Guardian

Nov 04, 2009

Summary

The founders of Skype are closing in on a deal that could end a complex legal battle and give them back a significant stake in the internet telephony service.

The move, sparked by arguments over the technology that underpins the popular internet service, could bring down the curtain on a drawn-out fracas that had threatened the $2bn attempt by eBay to offload part of its stake in Skype - but could also drastically change the nature of the deal.

The Guardian understands that negotiations between eBay and JoltId - a company owned by Skype's founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis - are close to reaching a conclusion, with the parties prepared to settle a lawsuit filed in September alleging that Skype was breaching a licensing agreement by continuing to use JoltId's proprietary "Global Index" system.

The argument had been brewing for some months, but a string of lawsuits were filed shortly after the Californian auction site agreed to sell 65% of Skype for $1.9bn earlier this year. That agreement, with a consortium of buyers,

With a deal now thought to be on the t

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