The problem then is the contractural requirement that iTunes customers can only purchase from the iTunes store for their own country.
But there's no requirement to purchase from iTunes at all, and Apple doesn't have a monopoly on 1) music, or even 2) online music. This can onlt be considered a monopoly if you restrict the domain of competition to iTunes itself, which is of course an Apple product. Not to mention which, one can easily burn/re-rip anyway to get music in whatever format you desire. To me, this is pointless.
This isn't about Apple having a monopoly in online music - This is about Apple restricting peoples ability to shop around a single market for the best deal. The EU is meant to be a Single Market. If someone goes to a shop the shop keeper is not allowed to look at their address and tell them to go back to the more expensive branch in their country.
Ok... now explain what's *wrong* about it. In fact, given the increased taxation in California compared to Nevada, I'm mildly surprised that situation doesn't already exist.
I think Apple should be able to charge whatever the hell they want in whatever locale they want. Just giving a little analogy without telling me what you're arguing against isn't going to convince me otherwise. And the EU's constant harassment of American companies is getting downright ridiculous. If European companies can't compete on their own merits, they shouldn't be using the EU as their instrument to "get revenge" or whatever the hell's going on here.
The problem is not that Apple charge different prices in different stores. The problem is that they prevent people in one country from purchasing music in another countries iTunes store.
The EU is meant to be a single common market, without restrictions on where people from one country can buy stuff. If it's cheaper to buy a car in Germany than in France then there shouldn't be any barrier preventing a frenchman from going to Germany to buy a car. Similarly if music from iTunes is cheaper in France than the UK there shouldn't be any barrier to someone from the UK going to the French iTunes site to buy their music.
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This isn't about Apple having a monopoly in online music - This is about Apple restricting peoples ability to shop around a single market for the best deal. The EU is meant to be a Single Market. If someone goes to a shop the shop keeper is not allowed to look at their address and tell them to go back to the more expensive branch in their country.
The problem is not that Apple charge different prices in different stores. The problem is that they prevent people in one country from purchasing music in another countries iTunes store.
The EU is meant to be a single common market, without restrictions on where people from one country can buy stuff. If it's cheaper to buy a car in Germany than in France then there shouldn't be any barrier preventing a frenchman from going to Germany to buy a car. Similarly if music from iTunes is cheaper in France than the UK there shouldn't be any barrier to someone from the UK going to the French iTunes site to buy their music.