Microsoft loses South Korean antitrust dispute News
Microsoft loses South Korean antitrust dispute

[JURIST] South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) [official website] ruled Wednesday that Microsoft [corporate website] breached antitrust rules [KFTC findings, PDF] and ordered the company to pay a $32 million fine and offer multiple versions of its Windows operating system because the automatic inclusion of Microsoft programs with Windows has hurt consumers. Microsoft said the decision could force it to pull Windows out of the country, and analysts predict the decision could encourage companies to challenge Microsoft in other nations. The dispute arose when Daum Communications and RealNetworks [corporate website] lodged complaints with the regulatory board, though Microsoft has since settled [JURIST report] with the two companies. Microsoft says it will appeal the KFTC decision [press release]. Bloomberg has more.