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French Lawmakers Approve 'iTunes Law'

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the play-together-and-enjoy-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Lawmakers in the French government have passed a controversial iTunes law, which has the stated intention of forcing Apple to allow purchased music to be universally useable." From the article: "In a statement issued after lawmakers hashed out the final compromise text last week, Apple said it hoped the market would be left to decide 'which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers.' The final compromise asserts that companies should share the required technical data with any rival that wants to offer compatible music players and online stores, but it toned down many of the tougher measures backed by lower-house lawmakers early on."

3 of 423 comments (clear)

  1. This story is misleading - that was is awfully bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This article presents the DADVSI law as if it would be good for free software. It isn't.

    With the law as it is passed, there is a very real risk that anyone in France who distributes software such as libdvdcss could face up to three years in prison.

    Don't be distracted by the headlines about Apple. This law could be a major blow to legal playback of DVD and other protected digital media using free software.

  2. Re:The market can only decide if it CAN decide by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative
    To extend that logic slightly, Chevy should be required to tell eveyone how their engine control system works so you aren't required to purchase their engine and transmission along with the car; perhaps they should be required to also offer Volvo, Cummins or Ferrari engines. Or they should be required to sell multiple brands of seats.

    Chevy is required to tell how the system works - at least how to interface to it - so that it can be maintained. In fact, they even have to make their OBD-II powertrain codes available "for a reasonable fee".

    On top of that, all popular automotive engines eventually become available as "crate motors" - it's a complete, never-installed engine in a crate. You buy the appropriate service manual, and you get complete documentation on how to interface to it. (Some of them are really old, and simple; for them, if you know what you're doing, you don't even need a manual. Like the 426 chrysler hemi, which was [fairly] recently made available... the drag race guys had bought them all up and converted them to alcohol and there were none left to speak of.

    Please, stay away from the comparisons to the automotive world. You're just as bad at it as damned near everyone else. If you want to get engine specs, documentation, and the bare engine itself, you can, and there's no DRM stopping you from using it in any vehicle you like, either.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. READ WIKIPEDIA'S ARTICLE by Submarine · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DADVSI
    Most news sources just tell rubbish about this law.

    This so-called "iTunes law" began as a law meant to criminalize peer-to-peer file sharing as well as any circumvention of DRMs.

    The so-called "iTunes" clauses were introduced as amendments, proposed by free software activists who wanted to save the legal possibility of making free software players. Apple was a side casualty.