Microsoft could pull Windows from S. Korea
Category Microsoft
From Macworld: Microsoft could pull Windows from S. Korea
Microsoft Corp. has warned that if South Korean regulators order it to remove code or redesign Windows as part of an ongoing unfair competition investigation, it could pull the operating system from the market or delay the introduction of new versions.
The warning was relayed Thursday in a Microsoft regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it is possible that the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) — the country’s antitrust body — could issue a remedial order barring a version of Windows that includes its Media Player or MSN Messenger software.
If *that* doesn't sound like a hollow threat... How can you afford to alienate a significant player in the burgeoning Asian global market, at exactly the time you're trying to fend off the growing option of running desktop Linux and/or stopping the spread of open source software alternatives to Office? China's already made their preference to Linux known. Does Microsoft think that major foreign governments are going to start shaking in their boots if they threaten to stop selling them software?
You may be a near monopoly in reality, but there *are* other options that are viable and gaining...
From Macworld: Microsoft could pull Windows from S. Korea
Microsoft Corp. has warned that if South Korean regulators order it to remove code or redesign Windows as part of an ongoing unfair competition investigation, it could pull the operating system from the market or delay the introduction of new versions.
The warning was relayed Thursday in a Microsoft regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it is possible that the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) — the country’s antitrust body — could issue a remedial order barring a version of Windows that includes its Media Player or MSN Messenger software.
If *that* doesn't sound like a hollow threat... How can you afford to alienate a significant player in the burgeoning Asian global market, at exactly the time you're trying to fend off the growing option of running desktop Linux and/or stopping the spread of open source software alternatives to Office? China's already made their preference to Linux known. Does Microsoft think that major foreign governments are going to start shaking in their boots if they threaten to stop selling them software?
You may be a near monopoly in reality, but there *are* other options that are viable and gaining...
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