Microsoft antitrust war heads for new turf

With a conclusion to the antitrust battle that has pitted Microsoft against the EU rumoured to be approaching, the Redmond behemoth has another fight on its hands, with tech tiger South Korea now probing the company over antitrust allegations.

RealNetworks, which is already facing the software giant across the courtroom in Europe, filed a complaint with the South Korean regulator late last year, claiming that the Microsoft's practice of bundling Windows Media Player with Windows is anti-competitive.

The South Korean Fair Trade Commission recently expanded the scope of its enquiry into Microsoft's business practices following the complaint by RealNetworks.

The FTC had already launched its initial investigation following a complaint by Daum Communications which claimed that Microsoft is shutting rivals out of the IM market.

Microsoft's European battles remain ongoing. Following the software giant's conviction for antitrust violations, Microsoft's efforts to meet the terms of punishment have not gone down well. Microsoft's would-be titles for Media Player-less Windows have been particularly unpopular with the European Commission.

The EC has yet to officially decide whether Microsoft has met the terms of its punishment as laid down by the court.