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The software company has appealed the case brought by the Korean Fair Trade Commission against it, and sought the revocation of the KFTC decision.

Microsoft said in a statement its actions " are consistent with Korean law and have benefited Korean consumers and the Korean technology industry.

"The facts do not support the KFTC's position. Consumers can easily download and use a wide range of software from many different companies," said Jae Hoon Chung, Korea senior attorney for Microsoft.

"In fact, market data from Korean Click show that Korean consumers use multiple media players and instant messenger clients. New instant messaging services and media players such as NateOn Messenger and GOM Player are flourishing in Korea."

In December 2005, the KFTC hit Microsoft with a penalty that includes a $32 million fine as well as an order for Microsoft to offer alternative compliant versions of the Windows operating system, without the Media Player or MSN Messenger software.

Microsoft has protested the restrictions as "extreme," even when compared to the European Union's restrictions on Windows that required the unbundling of the Media Player and potentially a very high daily fine.

"The KFTC's decision would create complexities for Korean hardware and software manufacturers in a way that would erode their competitiveness in the global market," Microsoft's statement said.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.