Skype and fring trade barbs

Last week Fring released an update that allowed device-agnostic video calls, on both the Fring and Skype networks. Later, Fring said they reduced Skype support because suddenly things were just a bit too popular. On Monday, though, there were barbs being traded back and forth between the two companies over Skype support (or lack thereof) in fring.

fring, in fact, issued a press release on the matter. They said, in part,

fring, the multi-award winning mobile over internet communication service, today announces that it is being forced to stop its 4 years of Skype interconnectivity following threat of legal action. Skype’s anti-competitive ambush comes in the wake of fring’s mobile video calling on iPhone 4 launch, which continues to set the standard in rich mobile internet communication.

fring went further and posted a blog item that was titled "Skype Cowardly Blocks fring."

Skype, however, fired back and said that there was no truth to fring's allegations, that fring had demaged Skype's brand and reputation, and that it was fring, not Skype, that decided to remove the functionality.

Fring was using Skype software in a way it wasn’t designed to be used – and in a way which is in breach of Skype’s API Terms of Use and End User License Agreement. We’ve been talking with Fring for some time to try to resolve this amicably.

However, over time, Fring’s mis-use of our software was increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers.

This has become a "he said, she said" type of scenario, at this point. There's no way this is over, yet.