iTunes Heads Into European Battle
01.24.07 - 10:27am
Itunes is running into harder and harder times in Europe as the call for “open iTunes” is crescendoing across the continent. France and Germany are now joining Nordic regulators (Norway, Denmark and Sweden) to push for iTunes to be compatible with all digital music players. The Nordic regulators claimed last June that Apple’s iTunes violated contract and copyright laws
‘Apple is aware of the concerns we’ve heard from several agencies in Europe and we’re looking forward to resolving these issues as quickly as possible,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said Monday. ”Apple hopes that European governments will encourage a competitive environment that lets innovation thrive, protects intellectual property and allows consumers to decide which products are successful.”
So far Norway has given Apple till September to change its policies, or face legal action and fines in Norway. France already passed a law last August that allows regulators to force Apple to make its iPod player and iTunes compatible with rival offerings.
