Ebay, Skype Founders Close to Agreement: Report

SAN JOSE, Calif. (TheStreet) -- EBay's(ebay Quote) pending sale of a majority stake in Skype appears close to a resolution, with an agreement expected as soon as this week that would end litigation with the founders of the Internet phone service, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The agreement would include Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis as part of the investor group buying a controlling stake and drop London-based Index Ventures Management, the Journal reported, citing "people familiar with the situation."

EBay had reached an agreement in September to sell a 65% stake in Skype to a consortium led by Index ventures for $2 billion. However, Skype founders later initiated a lawsuit to block the deal.

According to another report by Reuters, Zennstrom and Friis had tried to buy back Skype, which they sold to eBay (EBAY Quote) in 2005, and contacted many private equity firms for funding. EBay instead preferred a consortium including Index.