FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.7.0_04"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_04-b22)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 23.0-b21, mixed mode)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
The 3-args java.net.URI constructor throws an URISyntaxException and thus violates an identity that is guaranteed in the Javadoc of the URI class:

"For any URI u [..] the following identities also hold:
new URI(u.getScheme(),
        u.getSchemeSpecificPart(),
        u.getFragment())
.equals(u) "

For
        URI u= new File("C:\\t\\abc[].zip").toURI();
an exception is wrongly thrown.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Execute test case.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
"true" should be printed.

The schemeSpecificPart should be properly encoded and the URI "file:/C:/t/abc%5B%5D.zip" should be created.
ACTUAL -
Exception in thread "main" java.net.URISyntaxException: Illegal character in path at index 14: file:/C:/t/abc[].zip
at java.net.URI$Parser.fail(URI.java:2829)
at java.net.URI$Parser.checkChars(URI.java:3002)
at java.net.URI$Parser.parseHierarchical(URI.java:3086)
at java.net.URI$Parser.parse(URI.java:3034)
at java.net.URI.<init>(URI.java:824)
at bug.URIBug.main(URIBug.java:12)

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.io.File;
import java.net.URI;
import java.net.URISyntaxException;

public class URIBug {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws URISyntaxException {
        URI u= new File("C:\\t\\abc[].zip").toURI();
        /*
         * Throws a URISyntaxException and thus violates this identity
         * that is guaranteed in the Javadoc of class java.net.URI:
         */
        boolean test= new URI(u.getScheme(),
                u.getSchemeSpecificPart(),
                u.getFragment())
                .equals(u);
        System.out.println(test);
    }
}
---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
Use the 5- or 7-arg constructor of URI.

BTW: The third of the given identities is wrong:
"u.getUserInfo(), " must be removed here:

new URI(u.getScheme(),
        u.getUserInfo(), u.getAuthority(),
        u.getPath(), u.getQuery(),
        u.getFragment())
.equals(u)