Filed under: Audio, iPod Family, iTS, Software, iTunes, Apple
Sweden jumps on anti-iTMS DRM bandwagon
It sounds like those DefectiveByDesign guys were simply in the wrong place, but at the right time: Sweden has joined forces with Denmark and Norway to add fuel to the fire of pressuring Apple into opening up its FairPlay iTMS DRM system. A quote from a Swedish Consumer Agency spokeswoman dubs the iTMS ToS flat-out "illegal", and all three countries are threatening to take the case to their respective market courts.
DRM debates aside (which have been raging here over the last couple of posts), my money is on some music industry lobbyists making all this go away, as we saw when France tried this.
[via Engadget]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Christian Knappskog said 2:42PM on 6-12-2006
I doubt that lobbyists will make this go away - lobbyism is alot less widespread in the scandinavian countries, esp. Norway, and the three countries are less easy to give in to pressure from Apple and others. There has also been quite a bit of media-attention in Norway, so noone can make this go away overnight - not in Norway.
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Christian Knappskog said 2:43PM on 6-12-2006
-Did I mention that Norway and the other scandinavian countries are soicialist-states, and Norway has been named "the last communist-state" - the people comes before the companies in Norway. People before money.
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alexander s. said 2:59PM on 6-12-2006
Living in sweden I also doubt that this can be "lobbied" away. I dont know about the US, but in sweden you cant change the laws simply because you have cash. You can request information on almost anything from any government authority.
I might be wrong, but my view of the US is that organisations like NRA or MPA have far too much power, on the expense of individuals.
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Ken said 3:29PM on 6-12-2006
"...pressuring Apple into opening up its FairPlay iTMS DRM system..."
Do you know what is the case with other online music stores? If they use protected WMA, and how they are being treated by the above governments? Is all this being targeted against Apple or all companies that use DRM?
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guerro said 3:35PM on 6-12-2006
I get the impression that Norway and these other countries feel they have some sort of 'rights' to be sold a product. And then if they disagree with the way in which it is offered, they cry foul and go to court to have the company in question ordered to sell the product under certain conditions. If they don't agree with DRM, fine. But how the hell can they file suit and have Apple forced to offfer a way around it or remove it?? If I were Apple I would just say, "eff you bastards" and take my ball and go home. Then Norway and Sweden and all these other third world countries could have NOTHING and like it.
Don't get me wrong. I want to be able to do as much with my downoaded music as I can with a CD I buy at the record store. But what these European contries are doing makes no sense from an Economics standpoint.
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Kevin said 3:58PM on 6-12-2006
"People before money"; except that your people aren't making the products you want in this case, which is why your people come to us (with your money). Apple doesn't have to sell you shit. I hope Jobs pulls out and lets the vikings fend for themselves.
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Christopher Williams said 4:57PM on 6-12-2006
guerro and Kevin:
While I might agree that Scandanavians are entitled to be sold anything, if Apple chooses to do business in those countries it must abide by their consumer laws.
Also, you both seem to have an attitude that, while tempting to those who think that Apple should be able to keep its DRM scheme fully intact and closed, is just not good business. Pulling out of one country might be okay for Apple, but now we're talking much of Western Europe challenging Apple's DRM policies. To simply pull out of every country which challenges those schemes will put Apple in a very bad position. They may be able to afford to pull from France (from what I understand about 5% of the total iTMS revenue), but not France, Norway, Sweden, England, and Denmark (all countries with some sort of governmental probe into Apple's DRM closedness). That would just be bad business, and it would put a nasty stain on Apple's reputation.
Now while I don't agree that governments should be able to regulate business in this kind of way (I'm a Libertarian and pure free market capitalist), I do strongly agree that Apple ought to open up its DRM so that it is compatible with more than Apple hardware.
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Christopher Williams said 4:58PM on 6-12-2006
My first sentence should read "aren't entitled" rather than "are entitled."
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michel said 5:15PM on 6-12-2006
it can amazes you but YES country has a WORD to say about what is sold and how it sold
even U.S.A.
BUT
"france" never did try to threaten "itunes" but ONE group of people. not the "france".
not the whole people from "France and Navarre" from Marseille to Lille
even in Sweden or Danmark, it's _not_ the "country" . it"s some _LEGAL_ CIVIL associations trying to use the law to force itms to respect what they want
the judges will decide
NOT the "governments", NOT the "country" , NOT the Whole People of Europa
STOP THINKING THERE ARE ONE GUY By country in Europa !!!!!
they are democraticals countries of laws and rights like the U.S.A !!!!!
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Reg said 8:52PM on 6-12-2006
How about this:
Require Apple to license FairPlay to manufacturers of other MP3 players for say, $5 per unit.
That's it.
The result would be that almost everyone wins: the iTunes store becomes open, other manufacturers can make a player that plays music from it, the RIAA still have their precious DRM in place, and Apple stills makes a bit of money off each license.
iPod marketshare *may* dip slightly once other manufacturers have access to the store, but cool people will still buy iPods because, well, they're cool.
iTunes Store revenue would increase which, along with the extra eyeballs, could extend Apple's opportunity to cast a halo effect...
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Travis Cripps said 8:59PM on 6-12-2006
I find it interesting that some European countries are so concerned about the DRM in Apple's music when there's a much more egregious form on a LOT of the CDs sold in Europe. Double standards?
OK, I admit they are saying that the EULA is not legal in their country. More specifically that Apple can't change the terms of the EULA after the user has already agreed to it. I don't know enough about that particular point to comment on it. Perhaps it's a simple as revising the EULA for those countries?
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Lustigson said 3:31AM on 6-13-2006
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple does eventually open up their format(s) to other hardware firms. Like Travis said, everybody wins: consumers would have a choice from several audio players and iTunes will be THE online store even if you don't have an iPod. Question is, though, whether Apple is about hardware (i.e. selling the iPod) or about software/services (i.e. selling songs online and make money from it).
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Erik said 5:15AM on 6-13-2006
This is not specifically about iTunes DRM, it's about the terms of service and terms of sale that they don't agree with. The Swedish Consumer Agency's press release says nothing about Fairplay or DRM.
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alexander s. said 7:40AM on 6-13-2006
I read through the statement made by KO (Konsumentombudsmannen), a person paid by the government to look after consumer-rights, although I should mention that he has no power. To get iTunes to change he would have to bring it to the court. But KO wouldn't raise this issue if he didn't feel it was not in accordance with the law.
To the point: KO had nothing against the DRM, or apple closing out other mp3-manufacturers. The complaint was that apple wrote itself free from any damage, even if it was caused deliberately by apple, and the fact that they could change the usage agreement at any time, without noticing the consumers.
Atleast the swedish KO had never mentioned the DRMs.
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Andrew said 3:07PM on 6-15-2006
Let's see,
You invent something and restrict it's access to your products your guidelines...
How's that Illegal?
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