Skype says Fring violated its Terms of Use, 'damaging our brand and reputation' in the process
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted July 12th 2010 3:29PM
posted July 12th 2010 3:29PM
It looks like Fring's recent decision to block Skype access to its iPhone 4 video app was the final straw for Skype, who charges that VoIP network was in breach of the Terms of Use and EULA for the Skype API. "Over time," writes General Counsel Robert Miller, "Fring's mis-use of our software was increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers." Although they've "been talking with Fring for some time to try to resolve this amicably," Friday's action is being called "disappointing [for] our customers, who have high expectations of the Skype experience." He goes on to say that "Skype will rigorously protect our brand and reputation, and those developers that do not comply with our terms will be subject to legal enforcement." Meaning, presumably, that in the case of more Fring shenanigans there will be some sort of red-hot legal action. For its part, Fring CEO Avi Shechter had this to say: "We are disappointed that Skype, who once championed the cause of openness, is now attempting to muzzle competition, even to the detriment of its own users." Which is all well and good, but we can hardly see how Skype is the problem here when you were the ones who locked out its users in the first place.
Booooo!
@DaHarder *shakes head* Fring, Fring, Fring...you guys screwed up by underestimating what turning on the iPhone tap would do to your systems, so don't try pinning it on Skype. And I say this as an excited early adopter who showed no fewer than half-a-dozen people that my EVO could video conference with their desktops.
Shape up, get your act together, and get back on the horse. Thanks.
@DaHarder
Goooo Skype!
@CRA1G Same here man.. fring to skype video calls was one of the best features of my Evo, now it's gone :(
I really hope skype is doing this because they are planning to release a free app for android very soon *fingers crossed*
@r34p3r I agree - Skype could do with getting a little more open by allowing android phone to phone over wifi internationally for one thing.
Get with the program, and leave the upstart Fring alone.
@CRA1G
I think the way you have to look at it is that both companies have their rights and wrongs but in the end, we as consumers get screwed. Not saying Fring service was amazing, it has issues but what the hell has Skype done?
Fring:
- Filled the gap for Skype video calls
- Filled the gap for Skype on Android
- Quality not the greatest
Skype:
- Made deal with Verizon thus Skype for Blackberry & Android locked to one carrier in the world
- Threatened Fring with legal action
- Released Skype over 3G late, wants to charge, possibly on top of any existing subscription
I would rather have the service at least than no service at all. Skype has been sitting on their arse for sometime and they kill off the competition but where is there service offering?
@DaHarder
IPhone tears people apart :/
@CRA1G
I had Fring on my EVO 4G before the iPhone 4 came out. It was really slow and buggy so I removed it pretty quickly. It's no-where near ready for prime-time. I had no idea it was running on a Skype back-end, I wonder how many people really did?
C'mon Skype, how hard could it possibly be to port the Incredible Skype app to all other 2.1 devices?
@theaussiepunk I tried Fring on the iPhone 4 and the video quality wasn't good but it was decent enough to get the job done. I experienced zero bugs... Facetime kills it in video quality but you need wifi to make it work so Fring filled a void since they were willing to sacrifice quality to get it to work at most connection speeds (something that Apple often gets criticized for not doing).
I personally think that Skype signed a contract with Verizon that doesn't allow them to offer these services on other carriers or they want to charge extra for it.
@DaHarder
As I said on Skype's blog post: Fring was filling a market that Skype themselves refused to fill. The only people ruining Skype's brand and reputation is themselves. And they try to give us some bs response about "the app not being ready to meet its customer's standards". Well, it sure is ready to meet Verizon customer's standards isn't it, Skype?
Maybe if they would focus on supporting their own products and actually making their app available to everyone, this wouldn't be such a problem. When your customers are running to a 3rd party because they can't get the functionality they need, there is a major problem.
@HTCAndroidTre Really dude? Come off it. Spinning this somehow to attempt to create a negative iPhone trolling thread out of thin air is lame even for the most die hard Android user. Fact of the matter is, there are a HELL of a lot of iPhones out there, more than any other phone of it's type currently specifically in the US. When companies attempt something data intensive for the iPhone without being prepared for the massive data drain then they have no one to blame other than themselves.
@HTCAndroidTre
What the heck does this have to do with the iPhone? Stop trolling, because it also effects us Android users.
@mrt2
I didn't pull it out of thin air when did fring decide to split with Skype temporarily? Oh yea after the iPhones adoption of fring. And I'm an android user and this has no effect on me because I'm on Verizon.
Well, if you're so concerned about your customers, Skype, the provide everyone with access to your services!
Verizon has access, why can't the rest of us?
@Mike10010100
Agreed. Sure, Fring did mess up by underestimating demand for mobile Skype and having to temporarily limit the system, but this "reputation" response from Skype sounds fishy to me. My guess is Skype wants its own brand to be foremost in mobile video conf and used this opportunity to remove an obstacle. Skype is far from open, they just try to maintain an image of openness via selected points of access to their closed system.
@Mike10010100
Absolutely agree. Skype grow from absolutely wonderful VoIP application to something even more disgusting than ICQ. Each major version they add more stuff to annoy their customer. Why can't they just program something lean, easy to use and worked on every platform?
@A N Other
Better yet, why not Google Chat Video? We can already do it from Gmail, why not from our android phones?
@Mike10010100
Google needs to make use of their gizmo5 purchase and make voip and video calling service asap make it based on open standards ( like facetime) and open source ( unlike facetime)
@Mike10010100
This has spoiled the party for Nokia users like me, who were using Fring video calling for skype. Not only video calling, but also skypeout calls.
Now, i cannot see my gf everyday using video calling, damn.
Yo skype, stop complaining unless you start updating your app more regularly.
As a fan, I have to admit though, the quality was pretty bad. Hopefully this will put some pressure on Skype to release a native app for Android.
@scl23enN4m3 Skype announced their intent to do so a while ago, so let's just hope this ups their enthusiasm and advances their timetable a bit.
@scl23enN4m3
Amen to that. Fring was the last chance for a Skype call on Android. I installed Nimbuzz but you can't be logged onto Skype anywhere else for it to work.
Even my N900 had Skype Video integrated. It's the only reason I regret moving to the Evo.
@scl23enN4m3 I completely agree. Fring's UX/UI design is appalling, and if it was services running through it, and distracting from my own app, and with potential to take away from my own profits, i'd of taken the same decision as Skype.
@scl23enN4m3 There is a native app for Android, if you have Verizon as a carrier. What Skype needs to do is open up that app to all Android devices, nobody except the companies involved like exclusive deals like that.
Nimbuzz still works =]
Doesn't have a proper dialer though, and no video calling.
"Openness" is the new buzzword these days.
Fring locks out skype users and they complain about "openness" from Skype?! Sad
Fring CEO Avi Shechter had this to say: "We are disappointed that Skype, who once championed the cause of openness, is now attempting to muzzle competition, even to the detriment of its own users."
It's their crappy customer service and servers that were the cause of the issue to begin with. What a joke.
interesting. i just read an article about this that painted Skype as the bad guy in all this. and of course now i can't find the article...
@kojo87 found it: http://androinica.com/2010/07/12/skype-kills-video-calls-on-android-by-blocking-fring/
after reading both articles i have to agree that Fring is in the wrong here.
@kojo87
No. Skype is in the wrong because their app for mobile OSs is either non existent like on non Verizon Android phones or uter veal like on the iPhone and symbian
@DefPoet
They don't have to make any mobile app...they have an API available for other developers (like fring) who want to do that. They are actually providing opportunities for startup companies and small businesses \ developers to add skype integration into their product -- provided that they don't do stupid shit like all of a sudden disable access to skype because they don't have adequate servers or bandwidth. They should have thought of that BEFORE releasing the app to the appstore, and they should have tested it and figured out exactly how much load their servers can handle at any given time. This is something that is to be expected of ANY company that provides services using the internet.
@DoctarPeppar
Wrong. ATT activations servers can not handle the onslaught of new iphones. Even Apple's servers Fail when they release a ios update
Skype did this solely because they could not make money and it competes with their horridly coded apps. Skype also limits almost every mobile app nimbuzz is a example Fring did the best thing they could do. They had the option to leave it active and have a massive downgrade in quality to skype and fring calls or temporary remove it and add more capacity to make sure that everyone received the best quality the could. Skype just got upset cause they were doing something that skypes own app which is only on certain carriers phones outside the iphone could not do
Shit just got real
@AlienSix
i don't know, my feces have always been virtual
@Psyclotr0n virtual.*
So let me see if I've got this straight:
Fring: Due to bandwidth problems we're going to temporarily block Skype access.
Skype: Block Skype Access?! If you do that we're not friends anymore and you can't play with our transformers or come to our birthday party.
Fring: What? No way! The one with the Moonbounce?
Skype: Yep!
Fring: Awww, man.
@Faxmonkey I douth it happen like that... It goes more like this:
Skype: We don't want you to provide video chat via Fring and what is up with allowing calls via 3g??! Our deal with Verizon prohibits that!!! Please change it back or we are gonna sue the pants out of #@##$...
Fring: No we won't put it back we will block you if you keep up with this junk...
Skype: Whatever... Just stop those services!!!
Fring: F them...
Fring can't even get DTMF working on their app.
F°ck off skype. Bring us an android client and leave fring alone
@viper24
Fring made the first move by blocking skype on its app. How is skype in the wrong here?
@correnos Skype told Fring they were damaging Skype's reputation, misusing their API and had to make a change.
Fring decided they didn't want to play Skype's game and walked away altogether.
How is Fring in the wrong when Skype was making them change?
@JONNNathannn Skype said that AFTER Fring blocked their services. As I said, Fring made the first move.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Of course nothing to do with the fact that Skype want to charge people for making calls over a 3G connection from 2011 and Fring would destroy that business model.
@Acdeag
Basically this, hilarious how everyone forgets this.
Looks like fringe should tell Skype to fuck off and adopt facetime since you can make calls over 3G with face time and at &t just limits it. I'll be damned if I pay Skype extra money to use data i already for, they can eat a dick.
@Hyakku Loved how you said that! Genius!
Skype, just update your fugging app already.
Skype, please don't stifle developer progression. I agree that your own updates - especially ones that enable video should come far more frequently. Seem like you think Fring is taking your glory however their
actually helping spread the word about Skype & mobile voip usage as a whole.
"Fring's mis-use of our software was increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers"
Really? I dont think much of Skype anymore when they started to charge iPhone users to use their app over 3G.