S Korean court rules Microsoft in breach of anti-trust laws

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean court ruled that global software giant Microsoft Corp. broke anti-trust laws by bundling programs with its Windows operating system, local media reported Monday.

In a case filed by local software company Dideonet, the Seoul Central District Court ruled against Microsoft on Friday, saying its bundling the 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.

However, Dideonet's demands for 100 billion won (81 million U.S. dollars) in compensation for its financial losses were rejected as there has been no specific evidence showing correlation between its loss and Microsoft's sales practice, the court said in its ruling.

Earlier in June, Microsoft was found in breach of the anti-trust laws in a case charged with bundling instant messenger programs.

The two local software companies that filed the suit were also rejected demands for monetary compensation.

In 2006, the U.S. software giant was fined 33 billion won (26.7 million U.S. dollars) with an order to stop packaging its MSN instant messenger and Media Player programs with its operating system.