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Microsoft Settles Korean Antitrust Case
Channy writes Microsoft announced on last Friday that it had reached a settlement with South Korean Internet portal Daum in antitrust case of IM bundling. Daum had complained to the South Korean Fair Trade Commission in 2001, accusing Microsoft of breaking the law by tying its instant messaging software to Windows. A lawsuit on the same grounds was filed in 2004. By the settlement, Microsoft will pay Daum $30 million, including $10 million in cash. In return, Daum would drop its lawsuit. Before this decision, Microsoft has threatened to withdraw its Windows software from South Korea if the country's antitrust agency orders it to unbundle its instant-messaging and media player software from the operating system. Despite this settlement, KFTC announced plans to continue investigation of this case and conclude the final decision within this year."
South Korean currency is 'won'. Exchange rate is about one thousand wons to a dollar. So Microsoft will pay about 10,000 million wons.
Subverting the not-quite-free-market to hurt consumers everywhere!
Don't disagree with anything you are saying, but either I misunderstood your use of the term "free market" or you misunderstand its meaning.
In a true "free market" there are no law or regulations governing commerce. The idea is the market will sort it all out itself. So in a true free market none of these lawsuits against MS would have any merit. Sometimes people seem to confuse "free market" with "fair market". The two are actually quite opposite. All "consumer protection", "anti-trust", etc laws are anti-free market forces.
"reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert