Iria

The antitrust regulator in South Korea will begin a crucial hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Microsoft violated the country's fair trade rules by bundling its instant messenger and Media Player programs into its Windows XP platform.

Officials have been reticent about whether the regulator, the Fair Trade Commission, will rule on the case after a closed hearing of two days. The commission held a closed hearing in July to listen to arguments from Microsoft and its local competitors, but it has not clarified how many more hearings it will need before ruling.

The case takes place in a country that leads the world in high-speed Internet access per capita. In South Korea, more than three-quarters of all homes have broadband, which allows data to be sent quickly for use of audio, video and other bandwidth-intensive applications.

Microsoft has said that it fully complies with local trade rules.
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Read More / Source: International Herald Tribune