Filed under: Apple Corporate, iTS, iTunes
France to Apple: Open iTunes, iPod
Earlier today,
French lawmakers passed the online copyright
law, effectively forcing Apple to open the proprietary format in use for iTunes and the iPod. This would enable
rivals to create competing products. The vote was 296-193 in favor, and deliberations over the new legislation should
begin in May.It will be very interesting indeed to see what happens here. As an aside to iTunes users in France: You may want to amp up your downloading between now and May, just in case Apple decides to pull the plug on iTMS France.
[Via MacMinute]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Splashman said 4:12PM on 3-21-2006
Hey, TUAW guys & gals:
In this post (http://www.tuaw.com/2006/03/17/newly-proposed-french-law-does-not-penalize-apple/), Fabienne claims the portion of the proposed law affecting Apple "did not make it into the final proposal."
Either Fabienne is all wet, or (much more likely, in my experience) the MSM is way behind the info curve.
So, how about having Fabienne address this issue once more, rather than posting contradictory claims?
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BeeCee said 4:31PM on 3-21-2006
Au Revoir iTunes de' France!!!
Have fun with your archos players/napster service and the rest of the "Lame for Sure" stores/Mp3 players. Such viable alternatives to the itunes/ipod combo.Don't
the frenchies know can still burn anything from itunes to a CD in mp3 format,
worst law ever, gonna cause a "Coup de' Tate" amongst their "les Habitant's"
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Dave said 4:33PM on 3-21-2006
People were burning thousands of cars and rioting just a short time ago, and they're their focusing on iTunes? True leaders those French lawmakers.
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capn.jazz0 said 4:57PM on 3-21-2006
Okay, I have to say that first it sounded like a dumb idea from those french men but after a few thoughts it seems it isnt such a bad idea. I guess Apple isnt one of
those bad companies but what would be if almost everyone would have an iPod
and iTunes would hold more than 90 % of the world music online sales.
They could make any price they want for the music they sell. It wouldnt sound so good for us, anymore.
Its always good to have some competition instead of a monopolized world.
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Lee said 4:57PM on 3-21-2006
Apple to France:
"*%$#@! Off"
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george b said 4:59PM on 3-21-2006
Yet another case of "The French being French." In 1966, DeGaulle threw NATO headquarters and Allied troops out of France, declaring "independence" from NATO.
He then turned around and demanded that if the Soviets attacked,that NATO MUST come to the aid and deliverance of France.
Things haven't changed very much, and the last time the French won an unassisted battle was during Napoleon's reign. They still believe they won at Waterloo.
This is just one more illustration of "The Frence being French." They just cannot resign themselved to not being at the center of the universe.
george b
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Nate MC said 5:08PM on 3-21-2006
Consumers to Apple
"*%$#@! Off"
I don't think Apple wants to have to use DRM, at least I hope thats the case, they've made it so easy to get around that it might not as well exist. I want to believe that Apple has DRM only to sate the RIAA.
If this is true, I see it as a good thing, why? Since when has CHOICE been a bad thing? Plus it doesn't wouldn't lock anyone into a sceme and promotes competition and a fairer market.
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Mur said 5:14PM on 3-21-2006
Well they certainly want some DRM to only allow play on iPods, thats how they make their money, and that what the french are trying to ruin here.
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BAM said 5:17PM on 3-21-2006
Are the bing words here and elsewhere on the same topic because:
- it's about Apple
or
- it's about France
The thing I don't get is that I France, IFAIK, Windows Media based services have 66% and more market share. What is this article was title "France is trying to force MS to port its WMF DRM on the Mac"?
After all, this is also what this proposal is about.
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BeeCee said 5:44PM on 3-21-2006
to #6: Get a *%$#@! Clue.
You have CHOICE! Apple does not force you to buy from it's music store, nor use its ipod player to lsiten to music. it simply built a cohesive unit (itunes/ipod) that syncs together, you have every right to take a song that has been purchased on itunes, and re-rip it to a CD, which itunes let's you do, and rip rip it to your mp3 player of choice! they are not forcing you to use itunes! Apple does not make ipods t to simply give away . they are a business, their music store only makes the experience better.
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Christopher Williams said 6:53PM on 3-21-2006
To all who believe that Apple is in the right to pull out of France and that they shouldn't open up the iTMS tracks: GET A CLUE.
By not opening the iTMS Apple is stifleling (sp) competition. Their tactics are straight from the MS book of dirty business tactics. Frankly, this is long overdue.
Imagine buying a CD which only works on specific CD players. I know that I would be pissed to find that a CD I purchased from the SONY/BMG label did not work on my Philips CD player. Apple's stranglehold on iTMS purchases (and only allowing iTMS purchased music to play on the iPod) is the exact same principle and should not be tolerated by consumers. Apple has a great buying experience, but hy should I be forced to also buy an iPod in order to benefit from the ITMS.
For those who would question my viewpoint, I have 2 iPods and DO NOT buy from the ITMS simply because of (Un)Fairplay. I use http://www.allofmp3.com (which uses no DRM at all).
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BeeCee said 8:20PM on 3-21-2006
#10) Get a *%$#@! TOO!
ITMS stifles competiton how? There is a rhapsody Store, a napster store, a MS music store too. I believe any person has the freedom to chose which store to purchase from. You then say ":Apple has a great buying experience, but why should I be forced to also buy an iPod in order to benefit from the ITMS"
who is forcing you to buy an ipod to use ITMS You can still buy music at ITMS
store on your hard drive, rip to cd, and covert to your liking? How does apple force you to use iPOD if you shop their ITMS?
The main point is regradless of the ITMS DRM, you as a consumer are not obligated/forced to buy froom that store, R U? It is was create to benifit the 30 mill plus iPOD owners as an integrated user experience.
Last i checked you can still buy your CD's phyiscally and rip it to which ever MP3 player you want.
So don't blame a store for only carrying I type of product, shop elsewhere.
thanks...Let me know if u need another slice of Humble pie
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Quentin Tiburce said 5:31AM on 3-22-2006
Hello, just a few facts from a French guy point of view:
There is a huge difference between American and French market.
First of all, Apple market share on mp3 players in the US is around 82%, in France apple market share is more or less 7% (sad but true creative is the leader on the French market with 10%).
Otherwise, the French market of the mp3 players represents about 15% of the world global market which means that Apple cant really ignore it and go away.
In France buying music online represents only 1% of the music market and on this specific 1 % market share Apple is the leader but this legal offer is still unattractive for most of French users because only 7% of the people who owns a mp3 player can buy songs from Itunes and play it on their players (what about the 93% others?) this emerging market is still very fragile, most of the French users are still downloading illegally and massively their music, the offer of legal downloadable music is still very limited and if you ad a limitation on a player that only 7% of the market uses, people prefers to find other ways to find their music.
The essence of that law is not to piss off Apple, its more user focused.
Imagine you could only play sony cds on your sony cd player
And to all the French bashers, please be smarter than that, take time to understand, because we dont share the same point of view doesnt mean we hate each others.
I havent been writing in English for a long time so I hope youll understand my point. Have a nice day.
/Quentin
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Christopher Williams said 9:52AM on 3-22-2006
To #12:
So what you're saying is that because one may not choose to buy an iPod, that they should be okay with purchasing music at a relatively low quality (128k really isn't that great), then having to further degrade the quality (and waste a cd) by burning it and ripping it? And that because one may not want to buy an iPod, that one should be okay with having to go through a round-about process just to listen to said music how one would like?
How is that okay?
There is no need for Apple to tie iTMS tracks to the iPod and the iPod alone. It is purely monopolistic and dirty business to cripple software from running on hardware for no apparent reason other than to gain or keep a stranglehold on marketshare.
Opening Fairplay would not make the process any more difficult for iPod users. It would be exactly the same. No one is saying that iTunes must work with other players, but that songs purchased from iTMS must work with all players? How is that bad?
Apple simply wants to force users to buy their hardware in order to use their store. This is dirty business plain and simple and that won't change no matter how much you cuss.
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tina said 1:18PM on 3-30-2006
Hi,
I have a question for Quentin Tiburce. I appreciate some of the background figures you cite regarding Apple's smaller presence in France in terms of MP3 player market share. Can I ask where you found those figures of :
i)Apple market share on mp3 players in the France apple of 7%
ii)Creative Labs market share in FR with 10%?
Thanks/Merci
PS your english is very good!
Kind regards,
Tina
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