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Norway Outlaws iTunes

haddieman notes that while many people are getting more and more annoyed at DRM, Norway actually did something about it. The PC World article explains: "Good intentions, questionable execution. European legislators have been giving DRM considerable attention for a while, but Norway has actually gone so far as to declare that Apple's iTunes store is illegal under Norwegian law. The crux of the issue is that the Fairplay DRM that is at the heart of the iTunes/iPod universe doesn't work with anything else, meaning that if you want access to the cast iTunes library, you have to buy an iPod."

3 of 930 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So, I bought a copy... by freedom_india · · Score: 0, Redundant

    EU is just being a bitch. If Apple were an EU company and a French/Italian had invented the iPod, you could see subsidies for Apple now.
    For EU, anything produced by US/Japan/Asia is a fair target.
    Prove me wrong if you cam=n.
    Microsoft, Apple, Boeing, anything non-EU, they pounce on it and try to kill it.

    --
    "Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
  2. Re:Good! by kevinbr · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Jeez - I just bought an Xbox game in Norway - I want to play thos game on my Mac and my Wii I cannot. I DEMAND that Norway make ALL software run on all platforms.

    I Just paid for a new license for IBM's mainframe OS. I cannot run it on my Mac. I DEMAND that Norway make ALL software run on all platforms.

    I just bought Microsoft Visio. I cannot run it on my Mac. I DEMAND that Norway make ALL software run on all platforms.

    Lets consider this. In all cases such as above - I cannot convert the media from one platform to the other.

    Yet with iTunes purchased music I can convert to MP3 and play on any platform. I can convert quite easily.

    With iTunes any song I find there I can buy anywhere else in the world. There is no problem with someone who has a non iPod to get Music.

    iTunes is a free utility for iPod owners to allow them easy access to the music that other music player can also access via other stores. The free utility runs on macs and pc's.

    Must the Apple stores in Norway now be forced to sell Windows software and Vista?

    The iindustry in the case of DVD's etc joined together and made standards for encryption etc.

    The Music industry refused to standardize on a solution, yet made demands that resellers of their catalogue use DRM.

    "....Windows doesn't limit what hardware you can run it on....."

    What shite. I have a Power PC that will not run Windows.

    Lets try thos sentence:

    "Norway has outlawed Wii because you don't have the choice of what hardware from what company to listen to it on. It's Wii players only"

    Norway has outlawed Xbox because you don't have the choice of what hardware from what company to listen to it on. It's Microsoft's players only"

    Duh!

    iTunes is a specific utility for a specific device.

    Go fucking buy music wherever you want and stop bleating.

    It is about Music not iTunes. iTunes is also a shop. Walmart is never going to be forced to allow KMart to use it's retail systems. You can only get the Walmart purchase experience in walmart. You cabn only get the Apple experience in iTunes.

    You can get Corn Flakes anywhere. You can get Music Anywhere. There is no restriction.

  3. Re:Good! by muffen · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Apple is being setup. If the European union countries want to play tough with Apple on DRM they had sure as hell better play tough with everyone.
    Norway is _not_, and this has been incorrectly stated in many post so I repeat, Norway is _not_ a European Union country!