Hotmail's IM program that spawned the legal challenge was free as well. The case hinged on the fact that Hotmail was attempting to provide service to AIM users without AIM users actually using the AIM product.

Trillian may not get hit. It may not be based where the big guns can hit it from the legal departments. It may even (though not likely) have gained permission to use everyone else's services to rout into theirs.

However, I do stand by the fact that the precedent set when Hotmail tried to cross platform send/recieve could VERY well prove Trillian's undoing.

M