KaKao

-Microsoft should stop abusing its monopoly power to bundle and sell various applications software with its new operating system Windows XP and disrupting the fair competition in the market.

-Microsoft should withdraw its plans to create a single integrated Internet platform that improperly collects and uses personal information through the features such as Windows activation system while moving away the locus of control from the users to Microsoft.

We express our profound worry over the Microsoft’s attempt to strengthen its monopoly power and do harm to the fair competition in the domestic software and Internet services market with the release of its new operating system Windows XP. And we formally require Microsoft to stop such attempt instantly.

Microsoft’s unfair practices abusing its dominant position in the market will strip the domestic consumers of their chances to select the services they want while destroying the innovative domestic software and Internet service companies that have abided by the rules and principles of fair competition. We are deeply concerned about the fact that if Microsoft’s attempt described above succeeds, the price and quality of the related software and Internet services as well as those of operating system will be at the mercy of one company’s monopoly.

As was judged by the US court at the anti-trust suit over Microsoft Windows 98 Explorer, Windows XP is likely to include the price of various applications bundled to it. We would like to make it clear that Microsoft Windows XP release constitutes unfair business practice since it adds unnecessary burden to PC users who have to buy operating system to use PC.

Microsoft’s platform expansion policy poses serious threat to consumer privacy: Windows XP deceptively leads the users to employ its Internet identity service Passport to use Internet communication and other net-enables features, and stores the users’ information including real name, country/region, gender, marital status, e-mail, hobbies and interest in the Microsoft database. It is crystal clear that Microsoft intends to track, profile, and monitor millions of Internet users with its single Internet platform. We worry at the prospect that the information from hundreds of thousands of domestic Internet users may be transferred into Microsoft when its privacy policy and systems security are flawed as such.

We strongly demand Microsoft to stop the unfair practices of doing harm to the fair market competition, and the attempt to collect private information intruding the privacy of domestic Internet users.

September 27, 2001

Lycos Korea, P2P Association members(Daum Communications Corp, Myescrow, Supersmart, Seefriend Communication, iBGEN, Apache Communication, YainSoft, SK Soft, ENWIZ, Open Network Enterprise, Open4U, Welus, Innovay , GA Communication, Future Valley, Peerclub Dotcom, KT Hitel)