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EBay Settles Skype Suit

EBay has officially settled the litigation around its sale of Skype. The founders of the online calling service say they'll drop their lawsuits against the company and a consortium of buyers whose bid to purchase 65% of Skype was announced last month. Per the agreement, the founders will own a 14% stake in the new Skype and receive two seats on the board. EBay's share of the new Skype will now be a more modest 30%, while the buyers consortium will now own a 56% majority stake. The founders will also transfer the disputed intellectual property owned by their company Joltid, which was at the heart of the legal battle, over to Skype. Gone from the deal altogether is Index Ventures, which had played a critical role in organizing Skype's buyout bid. As part of the settlement, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis received a 10% share of the new Skype, while they shelled out $83 million for another 4% of the company.

Read the whole story at New York Times »

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