Microsoft Drops Antitrust Appeal in South Korea

Microsoft on Tuesday issued a request to the Seoul High Court in South Korea that its antitrust appeal be withdrawn. In March 2006, the company had appealed an antitrust ruling that levied a $35.4 million fine and required it to supply South Korean consumers with two unique versions of Windows, one that doesn't include Windows Media Player and one that doesn't include Microsoft's instant messaging application.

Now, Microsoft appears more willing to work with South Korea to address its competitive abuses. "Microsoft remains committed to Korea and continues to work closely with the [Korean Fair Trade Commission] to ensure that Korean consumers benefit from vibrant competition in the IT industry," the company wrote in a statement.

Microsoft was found guilty of violating South Korea's antitrust laws in February 2006. In addition to the fine, Microsoft was forced to create the so-called K Editions of Windows XP, which removed key middleware software from the products. Microsoft provided similarly unique N editions of Windows in Europe for similar reasons; these versions do not include Windows Media Player, but have sold poorly.