[TexKat]

Where the source got copies of these Instant Messages is still an unanswered question. They are not normally archived like emails are.

Instant Messages can be saved as Word docs if one chooses to save them. I do it at work all the time in instances where I want to cya or in order to have a hard copy to follow up with.

[Ben Mugged]

But that requires you to intercede. There is no automatic archival of Instant Messages like email. It is because of the real-time nature of Instant Messaging.