IRC is not the same as mIRC.
As it says at the beginning of the
Introduction to IRC, IRC ""was originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988. Since starting in Finland, it has been used in over 60 countries around the world. IRC is a multi-user chat system, where people meet on "channels"... to talk in groups, or privately""
mIRC is simply a client that allows Windows users to connect to such IRC networks and channels quickly and easily. mIRC does not run networks, servers or channels - it just lets Windows users join them.
The people administering networks or channels have various ways in which they can manage them. Some networks use visible bots/services to do this, and some - like DALnet - use ChanServ and NickServ which are NOT visible on channel.
If Yahoo!, as network administrator, wishes to run something similar, they are entirely entitled to do so - after all, it's their network. More to the point, while the webpages and logos of various networks are copyrighted, the ircd code need not be... every network is, I would say, EXPECTED to "tweak" the code to suit its own needs, that's why not all networks operate in the same way...
PM
