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Quote:Chinese engineers have allegedly cracked Skype's Internet telephony protocol, according to a Thursday blog posting.

If the blog posting is correct, software developers who currently don't have access to Skype's protocol could develop and sell alternative Skype clients. This could prove problematic for eBay, which has kept the protocol private since acquiring Skype last year.

In a statement, a Skype representative acknowledged but dismissed the claim.

"We have no evidence to suggest that this is true," the representative said. "Even if it was possible to do this, the software code would lack the feature set and reliability of Skype..."

Quote:Paglee said the Chinese start-up plans to license its reverse-engineered protocol to third-party developers, which will be able to embed it in software used to build Skype-compatible applications. For example, Vozin could use the protocol to build a plug-in that would allow Skype users to make calls to and accept calls from regular phones without buying the PC-to-phone service from Skype.

Paglee said the effect on Skype could be devastating.

full article: http://news.com.com/Skype+protocol+crack...94457.html

Quote:Reports say that the Skype client has been reverse engineered, and that a compatible client using the cracked code will be released some time in August. If true, this is very bad news for eBay, because it'll make it much tougher for the company to make back its multi-billion dollar Skype investment...

full article: http://www.networkingpipeline.com/blog/a...k_spe.html

Hey if feebay can STEEL Mercs. BIN tech.
The Chinese can steel skype right?

[quote author=xppman link=topic=4398.msg17704#msg17704 date=1152967939]
Hey if feebay can STEEL Mercs. BIN tech.
The Chinese can steel skype right?


[/quote]

That was my first thought too.

Quote:the effect on Skype could be devastating.

Lots of things could be devastating for Skype: the phone/cable companies could find a way to block it, competition from the other million companies that provide Internet telephone service could hurt it, and eBay's track record of buying working products and turning them into shit within a few years could definitely hurt it. 

Meg right now>

[quote author=xppman link=topic=4398.msg17704#msg17704 date=1152967939]
Hey if feebay can STEEL Mercs. BIN tech.
The Chinese can steel skype right?


[/quote]My first thought was what we're doing to ourselves by doing so much business with China, a country with no intellectual prroperty protection. I suppose Skype could be stolen any way you look at it since it's an Internet thing.

Hey Pierre, it's only $2.7 billion (down the drain).  ;D

Quote:It appears that the Chinese company didn’t break any rules since Skype protocol was not protected by any patent: “They reverse engineered a protocol that was not protected by patent.[…] There is nothing at all illegal or even morally wrong with what this group of engineers has accomplished, especially from the Chinese perspective. They will be seen as heroes in China and it is unlikely the government will ever take action against them.”

full article: http://www.playfuls.com/news_03453_UPDAT...acked.html

Maybe Skype didn't have a patent for the protocol because a few lawsuits have been filed against Skype alleging it's infringing on others' patents?