AOL owns your IMs

Tek7 (Legacy)

CGA & ToJ President
AOL has updated the AOL Instant Messenger terms of service to include the following clause:
Although you or the owner of the Content retain ownership of all right, title and interest in Content that you post to any AIM Product, AOL owns all right, title and interest in any compilation, collective work or other derivative work created by AOL using or incorporating this Content. In addition, by posting Content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this Content in any medium. You waive any right to privacy. You waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Content or to be compensated for any such uses.
Summary: AOL owns your IMs. Methinks it's time to learn more about Jabber.

EDIT: Yahoo isn't any safer. Check it out:
9. CONTENT SUBMITTED OR MADE AVAILABLE FOR INCLUSION ON THE SERVICE

Yahoo! does not claim ownership of Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service. However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for inclusion on publicly accessible areas of the Service, you grant Yahoo! the world-wide, royalty free and non-exclusive the license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publicly perform and publicly display any photos and graphics you submit or make available for inclusion in the Service, solely for the purpose for which such Content was submitted or made available. This license exists only for as long as you elect to continue to include such Content on the Service and will terminate at the time you remove or Yahoo! removes such Content from the Service.
 
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Xfire is more better, although it's not compatible with every computing environment...

There's also this, which has got to be the funniest concept for an IM service I've seen.
 
Yea but like 90% of the software you use that connects to a central server like that claims something similiar.
 
hm... wow

*uninstalls everything that has to do with AOL*
*sits in spawn and nade spams at "AOL" *

oh wait this isn't cs.. :S
 
haha I'll still use it...I don't say anything that would be embarassing to say on aol.com or whatever!!!
 
Don't read too much into it. Most likely just trying to protect themselves from child-stalkers and criminal activity.
 
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