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South Korea fines Microsoft $32 million
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"Korea's remedy goes beyond what is necessary or appropriate to protect consumers, as it requires the removal of products that consumers may prefer," J. Bruce McDonald, deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department's antitrust division, said in a statement.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission ruled that Microsoft violated South Korean law by bundling its Windows Media Service with the Windows Server operating system, as well as its media player and instant-messaging program with Windows. Microsoft will have to facilitate downloads of third-party media software and stop selling in Korea a version of its server software with Windows Media Services.
Microsoft said the decision did not properly apply Korean law and it will file an appeal.
Korea's case follows a massive fine of about $613 million that the European Union slapped on Microsoft last year. The European government also demanded a version of Windows without a media player--though there has been scant demand for it.
At the time, U.S. politicians from both major political parties protested the European Union's move, saying that it was of the "utmost importance" that the U.S. continue to take the lead in overseeing American companies' business practices.
Perhaps fearing that governments may line up by the dozens to take a chunk out of Microsoft's hide by wielding antitrust charges as a secondary form of taxation, the Bush administration is echoing that line. The administration argues that Microsoft is already regulated by U.S. law and has been under court scrutiny because of a 2002 settlement.
"Sound antitrust policy should protect competition, not competitors, and must avoid chilling innovation and competition even by 'dominant' companies," McDonald said. "Furthermore, we believe that regulators should avoid substituting their judgment for the market's by determining what products are made available to consumers."
See more CNET content tagged:
Korea, antitrust, European Union, Bush Administration, law
see a connection here with the Bush administration?
Give a cyber terrorist a window of opportunity...Use Microsith!
Reader post by: Llib Setag
Posted on: August 17, 2005, 2:02 PM PDT
Story: Windows worm knocking out computers
Have you ever noticed that when CNN shows the troops capturing & dragging suspected terrorists from the caves, they frequently find their MS Windows PC laptops & search for terrorist activity on the hard drives?
Coinsidence?
Hugh amounts of money & they use MS PC Windows laptops?
US DOJ had their chance & they agreed that Microsith is an illegal monopoly, but refused to break the monopoly apart or control their illegal activities worldwide. MS Monopoly money goes very deep into the pockets of the U.S. Government in Washington D.C.
U.S. Gov't has suggested that MS should be considered for a national ID card for all citizens & immigrants of the USA, as part of their homeland security defense. Citizen Gates with the Dept. of Homeland Security would "manage" all important data of all citizens.
U.S. Gov't has recently suggested that MS Internet Explorer be the ONLY Internet Browser of the Government. MS-OS control battleships & aircraft carrier computers.
But noooooooooo, the terriorist wouldn't think of taking advantage of the structural weaknesses of the US-MS software that is on the governments computers, the US military computers, the US airports computers, the banking + investment computers & the majority of the US citizens computers.
Why would they want to do that...?
WAKE UP PEOPLE!
These worldwide cyber attacks are not just some smart punk kids having a laugh. These attacks are effecting millions of businesses & costing them BILLIONS of dollars. These "phishing" scams through IE Outlook are ripping off money from innocent people & growing identity theft is a major problem.
Don't make it easy for criminals / terrorists by using faulty software full of security holes that Citizen Gates can't plug fast
enough.
THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM. Consumers (bless their non-technical hearts) are IGNORANT as to what is available and they USE THE *DEFAULT*! So, if you have a monopoly on the OS then you get what ever MS sets as default, creating an "instant" _defacto_ "standard".
AND DON'T RESPOND BY SAYING CHANGE IT BECUASE *MOST* people don't THAT's THE PROBLEM.
Also the EU represents a much larger chunk of Microsoft's sales.
Since both Windows Media Player and the MSN IM client are free their removal doesn't effect the price of Windows. So consumers can pay the same for less. If the EU's experience is any indication it doesn't seem to be a very attractive proposition.
Why do they always get away with Antitrust issues?
Why is the legallity of their shadow practices not questionned by the US?
Don't even get me started on MS and SCO...
People are starting to realize that they have options. If they want to switch, they can do it on their own terms. They don't need big brother to beat down Microsoft first. I honestly believe that some day Microsoft Corp. will realize that there is a time for every thing, including closed source and open source. I don't believe that will ever happen under the influence of Bill Gates or Paul Allen.
Uncle George YOU ARE NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD. This is a matter of Law & Business in a foreign country governed but foreign officials that has nothing to do with the White House.
Citizen Gates must have "The Red Phone" directly to the Oval Office, since the DOJ quickly "softened" it's judgement on MS Anti-Trust hearings directly after George Bush overtook the White House.
Bought & Paid For President by Microsoft Lobbyist.
Signed Sealed & Delivered...
"Where to you want to go today?"
You'll get your point across much more effectively if you avoid conspiracy theories and demagoguery (I love to throw a big word out there now and then, I looked that up on dictionary.com!)
"after George Bush overtook the White House"
Ah yes, I still remember seeing the tanks rolling up Pennsylvania Ave as uncle stormed the gates...LOL!
Korea: "To remedy Microsoft's violation of our laws, we would like Microsoft to, um, stop violating them."
US Department of Justice: "Whoah, whoah, whoah, there cowboy! You can't just tell an American company to stop violating your laws! You gotta, um, see, the company has a wrist here, and you can slap it, see, here like this -- we do it all the time, it's fun! Now you try!"
Ya gotta love politics. ;-)
Korea: "To remedy Microsoft's violation of our laws, we would like Microsoft to, um, stop violating them."
US Department of Justice: "Whoah, whoah, whoah, there cowboy! You can't just tell an American company to stop violating your laws! You gotta, um, see, the company has a wrist here, and you can slap it, see, here like this -- we do it all the time, it's fun! Now you try!"
Ya gotta love politics. ;-)
Korea: "To remedy Microsoft's violation of our laws, we would like Microsoft to, um, stop violating them."
US Department of Justice: "Whoah, whoah, whoah, there cowboy! You can't just tell an American company to stop violating your laws! You gotta, um, see, the company has a wrist here, and you can slap it, see, here like this -- we do it all the time, it's fun! Now you try!"
Ya gotta love politics. ;-)
political parties protested the European Union's
move, saying that it was of the "utmost
importance" that the U.S. continue to take the
lead in overseeing American companies' business
practices."
Then the US gov needs to get up AND LEAD!!!!!!!!
Slapping MS on the hand and fining them less
than 1% of their monthly income and turning a
blind eye when MS ignores the decision is NOT
leadership nor is it effective.
International anti trust feds are there just to help home grown companies not help consumer's.
as usual. Korea called their shot, the US has no reason to complain.
Any complaint falls into MS's court, and only MS's court.
But what the h---, $32 million isn't real money to either DC or
Redmond. So why is anyone getting excited???????
Enough said.
"First they ignore you. Than they laugh at you. Then they fight you...then you win."
governments must mistreat their own slaves.
- Microsoft is so screwed now
- by Fritz the cat December 11, 2005 5:24 PM PST
- If our goverments doesn't back off siding with Microsoft on this crap then korea is most likely going to declare war on the US for such a stupid thing their doing. Or better yet they'll tell ole' Bill Gates to take his Windows OS and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(62 Comments)Most of Asia has stopped buying and has stopped using expensive Windows for the much cheaper and more cost effective Linux (Specifically China's Red Flag Linux.)
Microsoft going to have to make the decision to either remove the crap from the server edition and send out a version without it or prepare to see Korea completely boycott all Micrsofts products (Maybe cause a war over this stupid thing.)
But that's something Microsoft isn't thinking about and if you can't go by what the people of another country want your just hurting your company by not trying to settle and develop a new server edition of windows without the media player.
Linux comes bundled with alot of things but the great thing about it is is that you can remove most of the stuff and not have to worry much about harming the OS. But with Windows since everything from Windows Media player strait to IE are so tightly integrated you can't remove them unless you want to harm the OS.