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French 'iTunes' law vote on Tuesday

updated 08:10 pm EST, Mon March 20, 2006

French \'iTunes\' law


A new French proposal that could become law tomorrow could change the way the Apple does business and could open up Apple's closed iTunes/iPod ecosystem. The Associated Press notes that the law could have a huge impact on the enire online music industry as it requires that companies to share DRM secrets to allow competitors to create compatible devices, eventually allowing other music services to offer music for the most popular music player; however, analysts and industry watchers say that Apple may just withdraw from the market than open up its hugely successful software/hardware system, according to the report: "French lawmakers are set to vote Tuesday on a draft law that could radically shake up Internet music sales by forcing companies like Apple, Microsoft and Sony to share their copy-protection technologies. The vote comes after the National Assembly, France's lower house, last week approved amendments to the online copyright bill that would break the exclusive link between Apple's market-leading iTunes Music Store and iPod players." In addition, the law would impost penalities for pirating music and/or movies and hackers to disable copy-protection schemes.


by MacNN Staff

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 industry, digital music/video

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  1. JimHardy1234

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

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    03/20, 09:57pm | report spam | Reply |

    Forget that small market.

    You're talking about a relatively small market with a student population that is rioting. Apple should just pull out if the law passes.

  1. starwarrior

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    Joined: Mar 2006

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    03/20, 09:58pm | report spam | Reply |

    FRENCHY

    I will always remember Dad coming home in 1945 and sitting on the front porch cutting the tops off his combat boots.

    He commented that the French who he had helped liberate were Jerks.

    They still are.

  1. ClickSpace

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 1999

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    03/21, 12:15am | report spam | Reply |

    Windows software for Mac

    So does that mean the French government will also force all software companies who don't already make Mac software to make Mac versions of their programs? After all, if I buy a software program, I should be able to run it on any platform I choose.

    If they pass this law, I'll be amazed.

  1. jarod

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2005

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    03/21, 07:00am | report spam | Reply |

    French retards

    Consdering that France is FLOODED with iPod Ads and every other person walking down the street is carrying an iPod; the French gov't is extremely brilliant in risking the pull out of Apple from that market. I think that the French gov't really likes having riots on its streets. Whoever gave a French man more than cheese is a total moron. These idiots weren't born to make decisions. Socialist garbage!

  1. Clive

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Jan 2001

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    03/21, 09:06am | report spam | Reply |

    Xenophobes

    Hey, guess what nationality all of the above are? Could it be that same as the ones who voted for George W Bush a *second* time?

    Some faux pas there, I think.

  1. Terrin

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    Joined: Jan 2006

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    03/21, 09:20am | report spam | Reply |

    France is on to something

    First, France is a democracy, that just so happened to vote in a socialist party. It is not a socialist country.

    Second, other then the law only applying to music, as opposed to software as well, I do not see anything wrong with the law. It is a consumer friendly law. France is trying to essentially guarentee music lovers fair-use type rights. You know the rights we used to have in the good old USA, until Congress started letting content holders draft our intellicutual property laws? You know the rights that gave us the VCR (would never be allowed today in the US)?

    If Apple was not involved in music, and this law was going to be passed in the United States, you people would think this law is great. The only reason I personally do not like the law is because I suspect Apple's competitors are behind the law, and as others have pointed out, why do the French not have a similar law for software compatiability? For example, since consumers own the documents created in Office, Microsoft should be forced to allow other companies to create compatiable software that can open and alter Office files. I would defeinately cheer that law if passed int he United States because that would be a consumer friendly law.

  1. doughboyj

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2002

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    03/21, 09:57am | report spam | Reply |

    not smart

    Sorry but I disagree that this is best for consumers. If they pass this law then they should pass it for everything. All computer software has to work with every operating system--not just Mac and Win but all the other small ones cause it wouldn't be fair. Also every video game has to work with each console. This same law could be used to open MacOS X on any PC. Basically any closed system that exists today would be in risk and honestly the closed systems create better competition. This would kill all innovation.

  1. Clive

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Jan 2001

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    03/21, 10:27am | report spam | Reply |

    Socialism?

    Socialism isn't the same thing as Communism - that great thing that all Americans seem to dread so much.

    At its most basic socialism is about collective values and actions to benefit society as a whole. You know, like building road networks so people can move about, schools so that the population can be educated and hospitals/healthcare networks to combat disease.

    It appears that there is plenty of Socialism going on in the USA to me - try getting by without it.

  1. VinitaBoy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2001

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    03/21, 10:35am | report spam | Reply |

    Who Cares?

    The economic facts of the matter are that if France were a state of this union (heaven forbid!), it would be ranked 46th in GDP among our 50. That's right, folks. France is a lame, little old gray lady, and if she wishes to cut her nose off to spite her face in this matter, so be it. AAPL can easily absorb the shock.

  1. Peter Bonte

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/21, 10:37am | report spam | Reply |

    Patent

    Its a good idea but not much more than wishful thinking i'm afraid. These DRM's are fully patented so opening it up to all competitors isn't an easy task.

    But this system seems to work fine for the current DVD market so why not for music players?

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