AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose reiterated recent statements about the company's policy toward unsolicited attempts by rivals to communicate with AIM users. We will continue to block Odigo's efforts to access our servers to ensure the privacy and security of our members. AOL's ongoing tussle with Odigo mirrors a similar fight last year with Microsoft. That battle was sparked when the software giant released its MSN Messenger service, which allowed customers to communicate with AIM Buddy Lists. But after a series of blocks and re-established access, Microsoft threw in the towel.
Instant messaging allows people to communicate in real time over the Internet.
Most technologies produced by an array of companies are proprietary. But critics of AOL say the company should open its network to allow all technologies to communicate with one another. Instant messaging rivals say AOL has not kept its promises to work toward an open standard for the technology, a claim that the online giant denies. Competitors want AOL to open its network of more than 91 million registered screen names. Rivals have turned to federal regulators, asking them to examine instant messaging dominance when reviewing AOL's pending acquisition of Time Warner.