Digital Home Thoughts: France Moves to Reduce iTunes Bill Restrictions

"Leading lawmakers have agreed to water down a draft law that could have threatened the future of the iPod in France. The National Assembly had voted in March to force companies like Apple Computer Inc. to make their online music stores and players compatible with rival products, but key members say they have agreed to many of the weaker measures endorsed by senators. The draft adopted by the Assembly had contained a blanket demand that companies share their exclusive copy-protection technologies with rivals, effectively free of charge. But the compromise text, due to be approved Thursday by a committee of legislators from both houses, maintains a Senate loophole that could allow Apple and others to sidestep that requirement by striking new deals with record labels and artists. A new regulatory authority would be established with the power to resolve disputes by ordering companies to license their exclusive file formats to rivals - but only if the restrictions they impose are "additional to, or independent of, those explicitly decided by the copyright holders." This means that Apple and Sony Corp. could avoid having to share their FairPlay and ATRAC3 file formats, lawyers say, providing they obtained permission from the artists whose music they sell."

Well, we figured that France would give in before Apple did. And I figured they would do it through a loophole so that France still looked good by doing so. Surprise, surprise, DRM wins again and the consumer loses again. Oh well, nothing new there. I guess France standing up to Apple (no matter how briefly) gave me a glimmer of hope that the future wouldn't be faceted with innumerable proprietary DRM scemes, but I guess it's back to resignation mode. :?