Microsoft has been slapped with a lawsuit filed by Korean instant messaging program developer Digito.com, which is claiming millions of dollars in anti-trust damages.

According to Korean newspaper Chosun, the US software mammoth has been accused of causing a loss in sales revenue estimated at W30bn (US$1=W918) because the firm's Windows operating system comes pre-loaded with a media player and instant messaging.

Korea's first instant messenger was created by Digito in 1998 under the moniker Soft Messenger.

A Digito spokesman told Chosun: "If Microsoft hadn't bundled its instant messaging program with its operating system we could have reaped significant profits."

Just last week, Microsoft dropped an anti-trust appeal after the firm had been ordered to pay a $34m fine by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) for breaking anti-trust laws by bundling its media player and messenger programs with Windows.

The KFTC also demanded that Microsoft should offer a version of its software without the pre-loaded applications. ®

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