S. Korean court says Microsoft broke anti-trust laws, again

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean court has again ruled that software
giant Microsoft Corp. broke anti-trust laws by bundling programs with its
dominant Windows operating system, court officials said Monday.

Local software company Dideonet filed the suit, claiming financial damages as a
result of the practice.
"Microsoft's bundling of its Windows Media Service with the Windows operating
system violated fair competition regulations by infringing upon consumers' right
to free choice and obstructing fair competition among rival firms," the Seoul
Central District Court said in a ruling delivered on Friday.
The court, however, rejected Dideonet's demands for 100 billion won (US$81
million) in compensation. "Although the company's share in the media player
market has declined, there has been no specific evidence showing correlation
between the loss in market share (and Microsoft's sales practice)," it said.
The same court found Microsoft guilty in June in a separate case involving
instant messenger programs, and similarly rejected demands for monetary
compensation by two South Korean software companies.
In 2006, South Korea's financial watchdog fined the U.S software giant 33 billion
won and ordered it to stop packaging its MSN instant messenger and Media Player
programs with the Windows operating system.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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