“Microsoft Corp. was ordered to separate its instant messaging service from its Windows software and allow rival products on its system in South Korea after losing an antitrust case on Wednesday,” Kim Yeon-hee and Lee Shin-hyung report for Reuters. “The U.S. software firm, which was also fined about US$32 million, said it would appeal the decision by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) but did not plan to make good on a threat to withdraw its Windows operating system from the country… ‘Windows’ Media Server, Media Player and Internet Messenger services were blocking competition and leading to a monopoly in the market, as well as raising the entry barriers to PC server and operating system makers, hurting the interest of consumers,’ said FTC Chairman Kang Chul-kyu at a news briefing. Analysts said the ruling would have limited ramifications beyond South Korea.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, $32 million. That’ll teach ’em! How will Gates ever be able to scrape together that princely sum?
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Microsoft threatens to boost South Korean productivity by withdrawing Windows – October 29, 2005
(yawn) ….
I love Apple…
But… umm… how the hell do they get away with doing the same as M$, only much much more? Apple don’t just include iChat, they include GarageBand, Mail, iDVD…
Is it just that no one has noticed yet?
Hey, that means that he’s gonna have to give up all the money he’s made in the last 6 minutes…
How’s a man supposed to feed his family with this sort of thing happening to him?!
RS must mean Real Simple…
Apple includes those software items with your Mac, but does not coerce you into using those items alone. You can use anything you want. Don’t want iChat? Throw it in the Trash and delete it. You won’t harm the OS. Try that with MS Explorer or MS Chat. Jump through enough hoops?
bill will just reach in his pocket.. nothing worth going to the ATM for
Sofa cushions….hilarious!
BUT….
“The Bush administration on Wednesday protested South Korea’s decision to fine Microsoft roughly $32 million and order the software company to redesign portions of its Windows operating system.”
http://news.com.com/Feds+side+with+Microsoft+in+Korea+flap/2100-1012_3-5985912.html
yeah, those applications are embedded in windows. even if u delete them, they’re still in the system. they keep coming back. they never go away. once u open a file that needs a media player or access to the internet, widows media player will open up or internet explorer will open up even after u thought u deleted them.
Wow! More Microsoft news!
MDN = Microsoft Daily News!
yum yum.
RS, That was exactly my question! I know Apple doesn’t have a monopoly, but they practice the same techniques. I am aware that most of Apple’s apps can be removed without interfering with the system, maybe that’s the differentiation. Try uninstalling Internet Explorer from a PC sometime!!!
RS,
Garageband and iDVD are part of iLife and are not included with the Tiger operating system.
Apple does bundle them with new computers, but that’s not the same as the OS.
RS: everything “stabtheman (the surreal one)” wrote is true but there is also one other thing that M$ has that Apple doesn’t – Monopoly Power. Antitrust laws (don’t know about Korea) here in America were written to prevent BIG companies with a monopoly (such as Standard Oil) from preventing competition and dictating the market.
M$ certainly fits that criteria. Apple’s 3%-10% market share (depending on who you believe) doesn’t qualify for the same restraints as MonolithicSoft. Even their OS licensing agreements are uneven in their execution. M$ charges every OEM for one copy of Windows for every machine sold no matter what the OS is on the machine when it leaves the factory. That is abuse just the same as forcing others to use your solutions to the exclusion of all others.
Bill replies, “Do you have change for a billion dollar bill?”
mac dood,
it’s not that the computer ships with software (garageband, ichat, ect), it’s that microshaft builds it into the os, completely cutting out it’s competition by making you jump through several hoops to be able to make third party apps work…
About the Billion Dollar Bill:
The U.S. Treasury secretly prints these for Gates and Ballmer. The portrait is the picture of Ballmer sticking his tongue out and the motto was changed to “In Bill We Trust.”
Hmmm, Bush coming to the aid of Microsoft, definatly political because Bush uses a Mac.
Yes, we Mac users have the stupid among us just like Windows users, except the percentage is much much lower.
Like WHO REALLY KEEPS USING A operating system that keeps having exploits every week and over 100,000 viruses?
Even George W. Bush is smarter than most Windows users.
Goddam Windows users are stupid.
Stupid Windows Users
Stupid Windows Users
Stupid Windows Users
Stupid Windows Users
Stupid Windows Users
Stupid Windows Users
MacGrumpy…Bush uses a Dell Latitude (a cNet article said that recently).
But Bushy does have an iPod, a gift from those cute little twins. I need a tub of strawberry Jell-O and those two.
Re: Bush administration
“Korea’s remedy goes beyond what is necessary or appropriate to protect consumers, as it requires the removal of products that consumers may prefer”…
*snort* Just goes to show the European and now Korean governments have more balls than the current US administration when dealing with a convicted monopolist.
Oh wait, of course, that $32 million that MS now owes Korea means there’s a few million less for MS to lobby *cough*bribe*cough* US lawmakers.
And since when does the US government care what paying consumers, I mean taxpayers, want?
“The administration argues that Microsoft is already regulated by U.S. law and has been under court scrutiny because of a 2002 settlement.”
Yeah, because US law is SO effective at keeping abusive corporations in check.
There goes Bill’s lunch money for the next two days.
George Bush uses Windoze – not a Mac. This was reported on in Newsweek in the 2004 election.
That Mac PowerBook that’s in that photo of a pre-Presidential Bush, didn’t belong to him.
I don’t like M$ but this is just a shakedown law suit. You don’t have to use MS Chat and Media if you don’t want to. Its best not to remove IE only because a few sites demand that you have it. I could not look at the BMW site without IE. Yes, I’m getting one for X-Mas to go with my iPod.
Yea let me see Bill probably has a spare change wallet in his house with 32 million in it. To him that is like 32 cents to most of us. Why did they even bother putting such a low fine like that in place.
No telling where the 32 million will end up, but I think that M$ just bought themselves a lot of favors.