The KFTC found
in December that Microsoft had acted in breach of antitrust rules
by tying its media service and media player to the Windows server
and PC operating systems. The regulator fined Microsoft around £15
million.
The firm was also ordered to offer two versions of the Windows
PC operating system – one entirely stripped of the media player and
instant messaging software, and another containing a “Media Player
Centre” and “Messenger Centre,” linking to web pages that allow
competing products to be downloaded.
Microsoft has now appealed.
“The facts do not support the KFTC’s position. Consumers can
easily download and use a wide range of software from many
different companies,” said Jae Hoon Chung, Korea senior attorney
for Microsoft.
“In fact, market data from Korean Click show that Korean
consumers use multiple media players and instant messenger clients.
New instant messaging services and media players such as NateOn
Messenger and GOM Player are flourishing in Korea,” he added.
Microsoft believes that the restrictions imposed by the KFTC are
more extreme than those required by the European Commission in a
March 2004 antitrust ruling.
It says that, unlike in Europe, the firm would no longer be able
to offer in Korea the existing version of Windows that is available
everywhere else in the world. It warns that the KFTC’s decision
would create complexities for Korean hardware and software
manufacturers in a way that would erode their competitiveness in
the global market.
