AOL would sell the ICQ software for $ 300 million

While December 9 next should mark the split between AOL and Time Warner, AllThingsDigital magazine reports that the Internet portal would sell its instant messaging software. Founded by the company Mirabilis in November 1996, ICQ was bought by AOL in 1998 and amended to ensure compatibility with the AIM client.

Some ten years later AOL had contacted two investment banks (Morgan Stanley and Allen & Co) to manage the resale of ICQ. Some sources report that AOL would get the $ 300 million. Today ICQ benefit of 40 to 50 million unique visitors each month and remain in pole position in the market in Germany, Russia, Ukraine or Israel. Remains to be seen to be the software buyer and especially if it is a relatively predictable player like Yahoo, Microsoft or Google. Other companies such as Facebook might indeed be seen as an opportunity to enter the market giants.