U.S. on iTMS restrictions

The U.S. has asked foreign governments to consider the effects of interfering with popular new technologies, pointing to recent scrutiny of Apple's iTunes Music Store as an example of erroneous judgment. The U.S. Justice Department's antitrust chief Thomas Barnett cited recent foreign proposals to impose restrictions on Apple's iTunes service as an example of strict regulation which could discourage innovation and hurt consumers, according to Reuters. A rise in regulatory second-guessing threatens to harm the consumers it claims to help, according to Barnett, who spoke at an antitrust law conference in Washington D.C. in the presence of antitrust officials from Europe as well as Asia. [corrected]

Countries such as Norway and France have issued complaints against Apple's iTunes Music Store in recent months. France recently presented a draft law that Apple called "state-sponsored piracy" which was eventually watered down and finally declared partially unconstitutional after passing the French senate. iTunes' narrow escape in France leads industry watchers to question the possible outcome in other foreign countries such as Norway, which recently met in Iceland to consider whether to file a lawsuit against Apple if the company refuses to lift restrictions that prevent tracks purchased from its own iTunes Music Store from playing on rival music players.

A consumer advocate group initially challenged Apple's iTunes terms of service in early June, winning a preliminary ruling that threatened to force the company to change its iTunes terms of service in Norway. Apple spoke out against the claims in early August, writing a letter to the Norway Consumer Council denying claims of acting illegally by restricting music purchased from its iTunes Music Store to play on its own devices.

by MacNN Staff