EU rep questions iTunes

Already under pressure from several European countries, at least one high ranking official at the European Union has lashed out against Apple's closed iPod/iTunes music ecosystem. According to German weekly magazine Focus, EU consumer chief Meglena Kuneva is publicly questioning Apple's iTunes: "Do you think it's fine that a CD plays in all CD players but that an iTunes song only plays in an iPod? I don't. Something has to change," EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Kuneva was quoted as saying in a preview of an interview to be published on Monday, according to Reuters.

Although the comment was made in an magazine interview, the EU commission said it simply represented the commissioner's personal views and was not an official stance on the matter, the report claims.

Consumer rights organizations from Germany, France, Finland and Norway have all voiced concerns about Apple's FairPlay DRM copy protection scheme, which is applied to all music sold via iTunes and not available to other companies. Last month Jobs called for the removal DRM from music and although backed by a number of companies, the labels have continued to resist and many have claimed the Open Letter was no more than a smokescreen for Apple's refusal to license FairPlay.

Fighting the growing urge for DRM-free content, the RIAA has also encouraged Apple to open up its proprietary FairPlay DRM.

by MacNN Staff