Is Using Skype for Business Illegal?

I regularly use Skype to communicate with customers via VoIP. It’s free, it works well and it also allows many of my long term customers to “know” when I’m available for a chat about non-urgent issues. In other words, I’m “online and available” to help at that time – not working with another customer.

Skype’s License

So I was initially concerned when a customer got in touch with me yesterday to say that if he had interpreted the Skype License and Terms & Conditions correctly – that Skype didn’t permit Commercial use of it’s free service.

The customer in question is a member of F.A.S.T. and has recently taken large positive steps to make sure they are legally compliant in their use of software – a step to be applauded. I myself audited my application use recently (see Rebuilding Windows XP) and found more than one app that was “free for personal use”, but didn’t stretch to my commercial use.

What Skype Say

Anyway – I contacted Skype to clarify the situation and thankfully, the answer was a clear “Yes, you can use Skype in business”. There is also a Skype for Business with additional features you might consider – see “What is Skype – business version and how is it different from Skype?”

The confusion may have arisen over the fact the license specifies you can’t use Skype for Commercial purposes – but what this really means in plain English is, you can’t resell Skype.

Conclusion

My client was right to question the terms of the license. It’s always worth clarifying what a product, especially a free product, allows you to do with it. As I’ve discovered myself, finding out a “free” product isn’t legally usable in your business doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay out for licenses. Take a closer look at the Open Source alternatives and often you’ll find a genuinely free and often superior product.