Take Windows XP Professional Edition K for example, it was a special edition of Windows released in South Korea after courts in that country found Microsoft in violation of antitrust laws. Like all versions of Windows XP Professional Edition, it is no longer available for purchase from Microsoft and has since been replaced, first by Windows Vista and later by Windows 7.
The K edition of Windows XP was only available in South Korea.
- In 2005 the South Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled that Microsoft was engaging in monopolistic, anti-competitive practices in their country. The ruling stemmed from the fact that all versions of Windows XP Professional Edition contained Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger, but not competing software. According to the KFTC, this hurt South Korean companies that made competing software. The KFTC's main example was the ISP Daum, who saw its market drop substantially after the release of Windows XP
- The KFTC fined Microsoft $32 million in penalties and ordered Microsoft to modify Windows XP Professional Edition so it would comply with South Korean law. Microsoft responded by releasing two Korean-exclusive versions of the operating system, K and KN, and by pulling the regular version of Windows XP Professional from the market in South Korea.
- Windows Professional XP Edition K is nearly identical to the regular version of XP Professional. Windows media Player and Windows Messenger are still included, but also added are external links to third-party sites that offer similar products. These links show up in the "All Programs" menu under "Media Player Center" and "Message Center."
- A more radically altered version of Windows XP Professional was the KN edition, which completely removed both Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger from the operating system. Until a user decides to either download those programs or third-party alternatives, she cannot play an audio CD or any media files, create a CD or do anything else involving audio or visual media.
- The K and KN editions of Windows are not unique. A similar ruling in Europe forced Microsoft to release Windows XP N across the continent in 2005. This version of Windows XP did not include Windows Media Player, although Messenger was not removed. Unlike South Korea, which ordered non K and KN editions of the OS off the shelves, the N edition of XP was sold alongside traditional versions of XP. The N edition of XP sold far fewer copies than the standard version, and many stores even refused to carry it.
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