iTunes Law Takes Effect, Norway Next
Apple's battle to keep its digital rights management system closed continued on Thursday as the French "iTunes Law" took effect. Norway also indicated that it was not happy with the response it received from the Cupertino company regarding opening up iTunes.
The Constitutional Council found portions of the French bill unconstitutional last week. The government accepted the changes and French president Jacques Chirac signed it into law earlier this week.
France's efforts to open up iTunes has spurred similar movements in other countries, including Britain, Sweden, Demark, Poland, and Norway. In Norway, Apple was given until August 1 to respond on the incompatibility issues.
The Norwegian government said Thursday that Apple had responded and was willing to talk, however both sides were far from any type of agreement.
Two aspects of Apple's position are technically illegal in the country: its unwillingness for interoperability, as well as a refusal to be liable if iTunes damages a computer when the user does not own an iPod.
If neither side can come to an agreement, Apple would be forced to appear in court to argue its position.