“The French Senate approved a new copyright bill yesterday, but amended it to soften a requirement for digital music vendors such as Apple Computer to open up their DRM (digital rights management) technologies to competitors,” Peter Sayer reports for IDG News Service. “The text of the bill approved by senators on Wednesday retains the principle of DRM interoperability, but opens a loophole allowing companies to keep their technology secret… Senators weakened the bill’s blanket requirement that vendors give details of their DRM technology to those wishing to develop interoperable systems. Instead, they voted to create a new regulatory authority responsible for mediating requests for such details.”
“The authority will have the power to order companies to share details of their DRM, but companies will be able to refuse as long as their DRM systems only limit usage of digital music or movies in a way approved by the author or copyright holder,” Sayer reports. “Developers of open source software seeking to make their code interoperable with DRM-protected systems and files will also face a challenge: DRM technology owners will be allowed to prohibit publication of source code developed using the details they provide, if they can show that such publication would seriously affect the security and effectiveness of their DRM system.”
Full article here.
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Related articles:
French Senate vote could offer loophole for Apple’s iTunes – May 09, 2006
Vive l’iTunes! French ‘state-sponsored piracy’ DRM law gutted in committee – May 01, 2006
Force open Apple’s FairPlay? What has possessed the French this time? – April 27, 2006
French Trade Minister: Apple’s iTunes must play fair in French music market – April 14, 2006
JP Morgan: French DRM law will have limited impact on Apple Computer – March 28, 2006
Dvorak: What the French got right with proposed DRM law – March 28, 2006
Will Apple’s Steve Jobs bid France adieu? – March 22, 2006
Wired’s Kahney: Proposed French copyright protection law a good thing for consumers in the long run – March 22, 2006
Apple calls proposed French DRM law ‘state-sponsored piracy,’ predicts iPod sales increase – March 21, 2006
French National Assembly approves digital copyright bill; could affect Apple’s FairPlay DRM – March 21, 2006
Apple wins…. good for them.
will not have share?
Frenchy. “I surrender—again.”
I thought the record labels wanted to force iPod interoperability to prevent Apple from maintaining its iTMS monopoly. I hope Apple has enough clout with them in France to prevent them refusing to sign a new contract with Apple to take account of this new law.
Ron. You’re an idiot.
ron,
you mean just like the Americans did in Vietnam, and are going to do again in Irak.
Thank you Vanna — Is there a “to” in the title?
— I’d like to buy a vowel.
The French: cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
‘Nuff said.
You America haters need a slap in the face. France did surrender and France is known for surrendering.
FRANCE is the butt of jokes in the world because everyone knows the french are a bunch of bottom feeder losers. Whether you like it or not it’s true!
Hate America all you want but you know you envy us.
DON’T FORGET you freaks, Apple Computer is an American company. Steve Jobs is American no matter how much you wish he were a ‘native european’. LOL
Vive USA!
Korea, Bosnia, Somalia….
to all the xenophobes who for the last few weeks have been saying that the french should not make apple open up fair play to now say that the french surrender once again – i ask : do really expect to have your cake and eat it?
pick one stance and stick with it.
MW : ‘although’ i do not have much time for a lot of french politics, we must try to be fair and praise them now for seeing sense.
Kate = cheap-ass, trailer-trash crack whore.
Hey, generalizations are always fun!
My country is going down the drain, I know this. In 10-20 years Muslims will overtake the French government. How sad it will be. We welcomed the immigrants with open arms when we needed them and they are the ones who will now destroy the France that I have grown to know and love.
What happened to our model social system? We are being destroyed from within, slowly but surely.
To the Americans who hate on France. Yes there are problems with my country but most of the people are still good.
Anyway, I withdraw from this discussion. While I hate to agree with the blind France-haters, there are kernels of truth in what they say.
For sale on Ebay
1 french rifle, good condition, only dropped once
1 pair french politician trousers, slightly soiled
1 set of male testicles, never used
Please contact Charko at
Charko’sACoward@ImADouchebag.com
Charko’s Ameritard Cousin:
Of course Steve Jobs is American. Any talk of his biological half-Syrian lineage is entirely irrelevant….
Of course.
their govt sucks, but their chicks suck better.
Hey I am back.
The truth needs to be heard. STEVE JOBS and APPLE COMPUTER are European in spirit.
The way I see, MICROSOFT is to the business world what USA is to the free world. A big bully who uses its might to have their say in the world.
APPLE on the other hand is free and independent as is the European Union. Europe loves Apple Computer because they represent us Europeans in so many aspecets.
The reality is that Apple Computer is European in spirit. Steve Jobs may be an American citizen but I have a strong feeling that he wished he were European and that Apple Computer would be relocated in Western Europe.
Silly Americans, APPLE COMPUTER is basically a European company with European ideals.
Apple Computer is so far from being American it makes me love Apple macs and ipods even more. One day Apple will come (I can dream can’t I?) to Europe and represent us as they do now in spirit.
More, Ron….
No $hit you retard that Steve is half Syrian. DUH
My dear American Cousin,
you really don’t get it do you?
I’m not an ‘American hater’. I’m just throwing your silly xenophobia back in your silly face.
I’ve always had American friends and am an admirer of America. But in ALL countries there are nasty xenophobes, like you.
You belong to the group of French, German, British, Japananese (etc) Xenophobes.
You have more in common with them than you do with fair-minded, unprejudiced Americans – or their equivalents in other countries.
If you read the passages regarding open source solutions you’ll find that this bill actually goes beyond current French law, in protecting proprietary DRM technologies. This is a very good bill.
Youval….
I’ve been to Paris twice, loved the people. Some of the most gracious and kind I’ve ever met in my travels. But you’re right, it’s the government of France that is struggling to find it’s way right now. Glad to hear you’re in the USA now.
I don’t think it’s fair to call people french haters or xenophobic when their frustrated with a country that opposes everything your country wants to do and accomplish, regardless of the political party in the white house, or regularly makes it national policy to oppose american business.
Trashing the people would be xenophobia, but being disgusted with the government is a different thing.
Some people, and I’m not refering to you, use the title xenophobe to lable anyone who has any problem with the French. Just like some people lable someone as racist when they have a problem with the agenda of the black caucus in the usa congress.
Opposition doesn’t automatically denote fear, racism, or hatred. It can, but not always. Sometimes it’s legitimate, but in online forums it’s easier to lable people that to understand them.
Any of you France-haters on this board now willing to send back the Statue of Liberty? After all, it was created by a dirty, surrendering, cheese-eating Frenchman. Or maybe you asshats would like to go back to being a colony of Britain again? If it wasn’t for the help of the French, you donut-eating scumbags would be scarfing down steak and kidney pie instead.
Damn, I should send this mongologue to the Colbert show instead of wasting it on the likes of you…
Shut up before I slap your mom like my dad used to when they were kids.
You don’t have any American friends you liar. I’m not a Xenophobe, I just hate my retarded European cousin, mainly you.
YES I KNOW MY RESPONSE IS CHILDISH so you’ve got nothing else to say.
BYE and don’t expect me to send you any gifts on your birthday.
p.s. nevermind I’ll send you 13 dead frogs via snail mail.
more ron and charko qualify as ameriphobes
RON you shut cho mouth.
Take that dirty statue back to france and drop it on the house of parliament while you’re at it.
I am creating a George Washington statue that we will put in it’s place.