Court denies Microsoft’s plea against sanctions

A Korean court yesterday rejected Microsoft Corp.’s request for a stay of execution on a sanction that the nation’s antitrust regulator imposed on the U.S. software giant late last year. The Seoul High Court said the decision by the Fair Trade Commission to impose restrictions prior to the resolution of the legal standoff did not jeopardize Microsoft’s management. Microsoft applied for a stay of execution earlier this year after the watchdog ordered the U.S. software giant to strip popular software from its nearly ubiquitous Windows operating systems on Dec. 7, 2005. The commission said that since the trial could take more than one year, it is necessary to impose corrective measures to protect consumers and competitors. The antitrust watchdog ordered Microsoft to separate its MSN messenger and Media Player programs from Windows. The watchdog also ordered Microsoft to pay 32.4 billion won ($34.3 million) in fines.