COPYCENSE

“Leading French lawmakers voted Thursday to water down a draft copyright law that could force Apple Computer Inc. to make its iPod music player and iTunes online store compatible with rivals’ offerings.

“Currently, music bought on Apple iTunes can be played only on iPods, and an iPod can’t play songs purchased from rival stores, such as Sony Corp.’s Connect. Critics have called the restrictions anti-competitive and anti-consumer, but the lock-in is a key part of the companies’ business models.

“The National Assembly, France’s lower house, voted in March to force companies like Apple and Sony to abandon their closed approaches and hand over exclusive copy-protection technologies to any rival that wants to offer compatible music players and online stores. While the compromise adopted Thursday still asserts that companies should share the technical data essential to such ‘interoperability,’ it tones down many of the tougher measures backed by the lower house.”

Laurence Frost and Nathalie Schuck. French Lawmakers Soften iTunes Proposal. MercuryNews.com. June 22, 2006.

Related Stories & Documents:

• Jo Best and Estelle Dumout. France Rolls Over on iTunes DRM-Busting Law. News.com. June 23, 2006.
• Ars Technica. C’est la DRM! French Bill Falls Flat, Leaves Major Interoperability Loophole. June 23, 2006.
• Bill Rosenblatt. France Approves Modified Copyright Bill. DRM Watch. June 22, 2006.

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