Apple vs. France

[GHoosdum]

Apple's ubiquitous and popular iPod player has been challenged in France - the country is moving forward with a law that would force Apple to allow other players to play iTunes downloads, and allow iPods to play downloads from other services.

"Any interested party can ask the court ... to get a supplier (of content) ... to provide information that is essential for 'interoperability,'" France's new copyright law states, so that content can be read on any hardware support.

It remains to be seen whether Apple would comply with the law, or just shut down the iTunes store in France, which would have a minimal effect on Apple's sales. Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research, estimates that less than 5 percent of Apple's overall revenue comes from sales of iPods and iTunes songs in France.

The new legislation would also allow consumers to use software that circumvents DRMs only if it were done to convert digital content from one format to another. Using such software is currently illegal in much of the world.

Currently, songs purchased from the market-leading iTunes service can only be played on iPods or Motorola Inc.'s iTunes mobile phone, and iPods are not compatible with music that uses DRM from rival companies such as Microsoft.
Source: Reuters (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2006-03-22T060506Z_01_L2127100_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-FRANCE-COPYRIGHT.xml)

[Leonardo]

LOL. Apple gets a bit of the medicine Microsoft had to take. I'd give the French credit for being consistent: Microsoft -offer Windows without Media Player; Apple - open the Ipod to be non-proprietary music format.

[Gargoyle]

Ordinarily I'd think what France is proposing is stupid (just as stupid as Windows sans Media Player).

But, I'm a card-carrying hypocrite and wanton Apple-basher, so Vive la France!

I just wish France as coming at it from a different angle. Make iPods play other music formats, instead of focusing on iTunes. Who would use iTunes if they didn't have to? Sure, any legal interference is rediculous, but less so if it serves my purpose. :D

[Enverex]

I don't see why people are against this. I would want to be able to use music I download from iTunes on other things (not that I actually use iTunes but still).

[Leonardo]

Who said we are against it? If it's legal by French law and consititution, or European Union laws, then a business must comply or stay out of the market in question. I thought the Windows XP sans Media Player requirement was brain dead, as apparently did most European consumers, but if that's the law of the land, so be it!