SEOUL -- Microsoft Corp. last week appealed a ruling by South Korea's antitrust regulators that would force the company to offer versions of Windows without its Media Player and MSN Messenger software.

The appeal, filed in the Seoul High Court, contends that the bundling of Media Player and MSN Messenger with Windows doesn't violate South Korean law. In a statement about the appeal, Microsoft called the bundling restrictions imposed by South Korea "more extreme" than the ones set by the European Commission in a similar ruling in March 2004.

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission issued its ruling in December after a 21-month investigation of Microsoft 's business practices. The commission also fined the company 33 billion won (US$34 million) and ordered it to provide links to the Web sites of rival vendors within Windows.

A spokesman for the Fair Trade Commission didn't respond to requests for comment on Microsoft's appeal last week.

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