Spybot Search & Destroy competitors are trying to force its removal

Trend Micro brands Spybot "incompatible"

The relationship between Spybot and Trend Micro has perhaps never been friendly. For over three years, users of Trend Micro products such as PC-Cillin have reported being faced with installation conflicts. Since December 2007, according to Trend Micro, Spybot S&D has been a member of the company's non-coveted "competitor list." Just below Spybot S&D's entry on that list, Trend Micro's latest notice to consumers -- updated last month -- warns that it might actually run into trouble automatically deleting Spybot Search & Destroy.

"Trend Micro recommends that you uninstall [these programs] manually through the Add/Remove programs option before you install Trend Micro Internet Security 2008," the warning reads, and then goes on to mention again Norton Confidential and Spybot S&D.

Trend Micro did not respond to Betanews' repeated requests for comment.

Since they are all members of the Anti-Spyware Coalition, Safer Networking has attempted to reach a resolution through the organization's Conflict Resolution guidelines. The company tells Betanews that those efforts have fallen on deaf ears, with no action taken by either Trend Micro or McAfee. In turn, Safer Networking is exploring legal options in order to stem the tide of thousands of Spybot S&D users uninstalling the software every month.

In his responses to Spybot S&D customers, Patrick Kolla suggests that customers need not completely uninstall Spybot before installing Trend Micro, McAfee, or Kaspersky Labs products. They can instead temporarily disable the TeaTimer function. As a Safer Networking forum representative suggested: "Run Spybot-S&D, switch to the 'Advanced mode' via the menu bar item 'Mode' --> hit 'YES' --> select 'Tools' in the navigation bar on the left --> 'Resident' and there you can untick the checkboxes in front of the two tools." A reboot may be necessary to stop the TeaTimer service.

One competing security software company that has not required its users to uninstall Spybot S&D is Sunbelt Software, the maker of Vipre Antivirus. Betanews asked Sunbelt's CEO, Alex Eckelberry, whether he sides with Safer Networking's contention that its competitors are using their built-in leverage to stifle competition. "It's likely not a grand conspiracy," Eckelberry responded. "It's more likely that the AV companies are worried about conflicts."

"The biggest source of tech support issues with an AV program is someone running it with another real-time protection system," Eckelberry continued. "I think Spybot has added some type of real-time functionality, so it's likely the AV companies are pushing for it to be removed...However, this can be done more elegantly. We spent a fair amount of time agonizing about how to best go about this problem, and now just alert the user with a strong warning that enabling our active protection with another real-time protection running could result in system instability."

That might work for products that expert users trust; those users can generally be trusted themselves to take such a warning as a helpful aid. But mass-market anti-malware products are marketed for the mainstream user who wants to set things up and forget them. For that user, the conflict between multiple sets of "good guys" may seem more confusing than malware itself.

Safer Networking's fear is that, if someone as big as McAfee or Trend Micro declares a competitor "incompatible" and requires Spybot S&D be uninstalled, users too afraid of the consequences may just take them at their word.