Madoff home fetches $8.75M

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bernard Madoff once slept there. Soon, someone else will.
The imprisoned swindler’s Montauk, New York home, located on a beach with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, has been sold for more than the $8.75 million asking price, a spokeswoman for broker Corcoran Group said on Thursday.

While the property is under contract, the name of the buyer and the purchase price are not being disclosed “to protect the integrity of the sale,” U.S. Marshal Joseph Guccione said in a statement.

Several buyers had submitted bids for the four-bedroom, three-bath, 3,000-square-foot home, which was on the market for two weeks.


Skype founders sue eBay

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The founders of Skype have sued owner eBay Inc and an investor group that has agreed to buy the Webphone service, accusing them of copyright violation and potentially disrupting the $1.9 billion deal.

The lawsuit brought by Joltid Ltd, a Swedish firm owned by Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, says Skype used its technology without authorization. It comes on the heels of a legal dispute between Joltid and Skype in Britain over software rights.

Filed in Northern California U.S. District Court last week, the latest suit seeks a permanent injunction against Skype and damages. EBay has denied the allegations.

Joltid believes damages are piling up at a rate of more than $75 million a day.