French Senate May Aid Apple by Amending Proposed Copyright Law

The French National Assembly passed a new copyright law that intends to force Apple to share it digital rights scheme called FairPlay with all manufacturers of digital music devices so that they may play songs downloaded from Apple's iTunes Music Store. Currently, Apple limits its iTunes songs to play on Apple iPods and only five computers to minimize the likelihood and impact of piracy. According to an AP report, the French Senate's amendment, if passed as currently written, would allow Apple to circumvent the dictates of the new French law if and only if the copyright holders agree.

While the proposed French Senate amendment to be addressed this week weakens the law slightly, it is opposed by the French Culture Minister and it is not clear that it does Apple any real favor anyway. Every copyright holder of the songs available from the iTunes Music Store would have to be contacted about their preference. It is likely that there would be a mixture of reactions resulting in a complex and costly system for Apple to manage and for consumers to understand. With Apple's iPod market share in France barely breaking into two digits in February, it may make more financial sense for Apple simply to drop out of its relatively small music player business in France. More... [Dana Baggett]