Someone over at StreamCast Networks is channeling the ogresque spirit of Patrick Byrne: they’ve sued eBay, Skype and 21 other companies for engineering an insidious, overarching conspiracy to cost StreamCast billions of dollars. Luckily, they did not describe the conspiracy as originating from the Dark Lord of the Sith, but you generally don’t say such a thing in a legal briefing.

The lawsuit largely involves a patent dispute, claiming that Skype makes use of proprietary technologies owned by StreamCast. This apparently caused StreamCast to lose 28 million subscribers.

They also claim that Kazaa’s co-founders “engaged in a conspiracy” to bilk them out of billions.

It all reads like the blind lashings of an imminently bankrupt company. Can’t beat ’em? Sue ’em!

StreamCast sues eBay over Skype ‘conspiracy’ [VNUnet]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.