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Thursday, October 16, 2003

 

Microsoft Mum on Third-Party IM Licenses  

Microsoft Mum on Third-Party IM Licenses: "Microsoft Mum on Third-Party IM Licenses
By Matt Hicks
October 15, 2003



On the day it set as a cutoff for unauthorized third parties to stop connecting into its instant messaging network, Microsoft Corp. is offering few details about its progress in creating licensing agreements to continue access.
Microsoft last month announced that unauthorized third parties connecting into its .Net Messenger Service, which powers Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger, would be blocked come Oct. 15 unless they formed a licensing agreement with the Redmond, Wash., software giant. Microsoft had encouraged third parties to submit an online form to seek a formal arrangement, even sending certified letters notifying some third parties of the cutoff.
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On Wednesday, officials with Microsoft's MSN group confirmed that the deadline stands, but wouldn't discuss many specifics of the progress for licensing. MSN officials said they are in negotiations with several third parties, but that none were ready to be announced.
At least one third party, though, had little success in getting Microsoft to discuss licensed access to its IM network. Jabber Inc., the commercial arm of the open-source IM project, said that as a result it would stop providing an MSN gateway that allowed customers of its enterprise IM system to interconnect with Microsoft's IM network. "





Seems like this is the dawn of a new 'get-tough' attitude at Microsoft. First they chop their Chat off at the knees, now it's the turn of the IM Messenger service.


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