“Consumer groups in Germany, France, Norway and Finland have joined forces to step up pressure on Apple to loosen the tight ties between its iTunes online music store and iPod music player,” John Blau reports for IDG News Service.
Blau reports, “At the top of the list of demands is interoperability. ‘We want consumers who purchase music from the iTunes store to be able to copy that music directly to any device without having to go through several complex formatting procedures,’ Mrowka said.”
Blau reports, “The European consumer authorities don’t accept Apple’s argument that the music industry is the reason for the company’s restrictive DRM (digital rights management) policy. ‘We’re not against DRM per se,’ Mrowka said. ‘We accept that music companies need to protect their content. But there is no reason why DRM has to be linked to a single device.'”
Full article here.
Apple’s iTunes Store does not sell music with DRM that is linked to a single device. iTunes Store tracks can be played on iPods, Apple Macs, certain iTunes-compatible Motorola phones, and also Windows PCs. Is copying iTunes Store music directly to an also-ran device really any less complex than copying it to a blank CD? Hey, some people want Outlook, AutoCAD, and PC games to run directly on Mac OS X without having to dirty their Macs with Windows. Others would like websites that work not just in Internet Explorer, but in other browsers, too. Even more would like to see PlayStation, Wii, and Xbox games work interchangeably on all systems. Where are the consumer authorities for those people?
We must have missed the part where Apple held a gun to consumers’ heads and forced them to buy iPods and use iTunes and shop at the iTunes Music Store. You can use an iPod without using the iTunes Music Store. You can use the iTunes Music Store without using an iPod. So, how can either be anti-competitive?
Related articles:
Norway not satisfied with Apple concessions – August 02, 2006
Norwegian council reviews Apple response to Nordic iTunes complaints – August 01, 2006
Can Scandinavians really force Apple to change iTunes Store terms? – June 16, 2006
Scandinavian triumvirate extends deadline to August 1 for Apple to reply to iTunes concerns – June 14, 2006
Norway gives Apple until June 21 to change iTunes Music Store terms – June 12, 2006
Norway: iTMS DRM under scrutiny, Microsoft DRM next – June 09, 2006
Consumer Council of Norway files a complaint regarding Apple iTunes Music Store’s terms of service – January 27, 2006
Gutted French ‘iTunes law’ ends up solving nothing – August 01, 2006
French anti-iTunes law deemed unconstitutional – July 31, 2006
Parts of French ‘iPod Law’ struck down as unconstitutional – July 28, 2006
French lawmakers give final approval to watered-down ‘iTunes law’ – June 30, 2006
Apple awaits final approval of French DRM Legislation – June 23, 2006
French lawmakers agree to water down DRM bill that would affect Apple’s iTunes – June 21, 2006
It’s no wonder EMI is supporting Apple in France – May 23, 2006
EMI backs Apple on French DRM law – May 23, 2006
BusinessWeek: still very possible that Apple will close iTunes Music Store in France – May 12, 2006
French copyright bill approved: Apple will not have to share FairPlay DRM details with competitors – May 11, 2006
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
@DogGone Apple not providing the ability? You mean free as in free beer? Fairplay use requires license fees. Do all other players want to pay fee to Apple in order to play iTunes track? Are they aligning at Apple’s doors and say: we pay you 50 cents for every track bought in iTunes from one of our customer?
The ability is not to be ‘provided’, is to be licensed and yes, there are a selected few companies that can play iTunes tunes and no, they do not sell iPods.
M$ does not lock out Mac users with WMP per se. M$ requires dollars from Apple in order to do play WMP tunes on iPods. Apple does not want to pay Microsoft. And looking at how Microsoft dealt with partners in the “Play for Sure” I am very glad Apple refused and will refuse to pay royalties to Microsoft in order to used DRMed WPM format.
Same, Apple does not lock out other players per se. These players want to enjoy the iTunes cake for free and Apple would be stupid to let them do it. Capish? It is lots of money involved and Apple refusal comes from the fact that evidently their business forecasts and simulation shows them that if they license Fairplay to other player they will in the long run lose money, not gain from it.
Whenever the market conditions will be such that the model will show that licensing will not hurt iPod sales and will actually increase the overall revenue then Apple will license.
All these consumer/government groups are asking Apple to open up FOR FREE. Which is, as current situation is today, how could I put it…. would moronic fit the equation?
Well, Europe is the best place in the world, anyway.
It’s not anti-competitive. Just because iTunes is the most successful, does not in this instance make it a monopoly. People are free to choose any number of music services that work with any number of mp3 players. Microsoft, in effect, DID hold a gun to people’s heads by locking box assemblers into contracts that force them to make Windows their OS.
WalMart does not force people to shop there. The claim can be made they leave little choice by running mom and pop shops out of town, but the truth is that if these communities actually cared about those shops they’d continue going there despite the presence of WalMart. So again, it’s not the same deal.
Funny how Americans expect everyone else to think and act like them. Your euro bashing just shows how bigoted and ignorant you really are.
@.RO: Welcome to the EU!
@mindpower: Countering euro bashing with Americans bashing isn’t quite helpful to stop it IMHO… Doubtless, some Americans tend to think that way. On the other hand, implying that all Americans think that way is quite an overstatement. Besides, calling them bigoted and ignorant strikes me as the same arrogance we find ever so hateful about US foreign policy…
Now, if you’ll excuse me, Johnny Cash is next up in my iTunes playlist…
American foreign policy is perceived as arrogant by European countries because America DOES STUFF. The Europeans TALK about doing stuff. Then again, what do you expect from a collection of FORMER world powers?
One thing I did like on MDN was that they did not break up the pages…
Don’t do it MDN, it’s a pain.
You are meant to be like Apple NOT like Microsoft…
What it really shows is: It’s working. MS is completely scared. The death of MS as we know it, can be seen. Today computer users want sleek, stylish products. MS knows over time it is doomed. Euro-politicians = on the take. MS is behind it all. They fear iTunes & iPod.
I agree that the store’s content should me made available for other machines. Burning CD and ripping CD is not an option for me. First I waste a good CD I could use for something else. Second, the quality of content is diminished. And Third, I am polutting the planet with wasted CDs. Well maybe that doesn’t resonate with other folks, but I am… European.
Is this already old news?
http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/hi-fi-and-audio/hi-fi-amps-and-receivers/news/apple-to-open-up-fairplay-drm;jsessionid=D9E83C25DF4C124EF06F8439516E78C2?articleid=394429162
Just asking.
MW: “ask”
Mark,
Use CD-RW.
Thanks.
Mr. Peabody
You are right about CD-RW, but that still leaves point two unanswered. And besides Apple is known for making things simple not difficult.
Apple has not stopped me from playing any song that I own. Nor has Apple prevented me from purchasing any song that I desire that is generally distributed (e.g., not an exclusive distribution in a proprietary format). To date I have not purchased anything from the iTunes Store.
Apple provides choice. There are (worse) alternatives and you are free to vote with your dollars.