The Daily Business Digest

Online auction site eBay has settled a lawsuit with the founders of Skype, ending uncertainty over the future of the internet phone company. The case was about whether the software of the site was owned by the founders via their firm, Joltid, or by eBay.In a complicated deal, the founders will drop their lawsuit against eBay and take two seats on the board of Skype. Skype will still be sold to a group of investors for about $2bn (£1.2bn). Skype’s software lets computer and mobile phone users talk to each other for free and make cut-price calls to mobiles and landlines. The deal, announced by eBay in September, is is expected to be finalised in the fourth quarter of 2009. As a result of the agreement, eBay will keep a 30% stake in Skype rather than the 35% it originally announced.