Legislators Ponder Laws To Force Apple's iTunes To Be Compatible With Microsoft
US legislators are debating whether to force Apple's products to interoperate with Microsoft's.
Source: SILICON.comThe Congress have been considering a plan that would outlaw music protected by proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technology, such as Apple's FairPlay, which stops iTunes downloads being played on Microsoft digital music players and vice versa.
However, yesterday's Congressional subcommittee hearing on 'Digital Music Interoperability and Availability', which included debate on mandating interoperability for digital music, received a 'hands off' message from industry representatives.
William Pence, Napster CTO, told the subcommittee that the music industry will eventually promote interoperability itself without the need for government intervention.
"It is my belief, and the essential point of my participation today, that marketplace forces will continue to drive innovation in the DRM arena with attendant consumer benefits - new ways to enjoy digital music at a variety of different price points - while also gradually 'solving' the interoperability problem," he said.
However, one of the biggest players in the digital market, Apple, did not attend the hearing.
Chairman of the subcommittee, Lamar Smith, criticised the Cupertino company's failure to show up, saying: "This interoperability issue is of concern to me since consumers who bought legal copies of music from Real could not play them on an iPod. I suppose this is a good thing for Apple but perhaps not for consumers.
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