Tribal Voice Demands AOL Opens Instant Messenger

In a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, America Online rival Tribal Voice has demanded AOL be forced to open its Instant Messenger client before the AOL-Time Warner deal is complete. Many smaller companies have attempted to connect to AOL servers in the past, and have been repeatedly blocked from doing so, and just recently have begun to band together to fight for the use of AOL's client. While the communications giant does license its client to those companies who desire its use, such as Novell and their InstantMe software, there has been a push for a universal chat client in recent months. BetaNews will keep you posted as the FCC makes its decision.