Ahead of a forced name change this year, Sky News Australia has lodged six brand names with IP Australia and is awaiting the regulator’s approval to register them as trademarks. The News Corp platform loses the rights to the name Sky in December after a 10-year deal with UK Sky News expires.

Is there a clue in the listing as to what Sky News Australia 2.0 will call itself, we wondered? Will they embrace the Murdoch family and go for Fox News Australia, or will they settle for the unflattering nickname Sky After Dark?

The six names awaiting approval by IP Australia are: Australian News Channel, Australian Agenda, Agenda, Australia Channel, Australian Election Channel, and our favourite, Lefties Losing It. Australia Channel seems likely because it already has a website, although it is currently for an international subscription service ($6 a month).

Lefties Losing It is a program hosted by Rita Panahi that has gained some popularity on YouTube with overseas viewers. The brand is facing some opposition to the registration, though – fashion retailer Zara has registered an objection because it has a well-established brand called LEFTIES.

According to the Spanish fast fashion giant, LEFTIES “brings fashion closer to everyone with an accessible approach that offers contemporary, essential, quality and timeless pieces for every stage of life”.

As a writer at the Australian Financial Review, Aaron Patrick caused a stir for making controversial remarks about female journalists more than once. Now chief writer at Kerry Stokes’ the Nightly, Patrick has caused outrage once more after writing an opinion piece musing........

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