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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?