France surrenders on iTunes law Commission calls for tone- down of DRM rulesBy Nick Farrell: Friday 23 June 2006, 09:00 A FRENCH parliamentary commission has softened a law aimed at opening up online content businesses like Apple's iTunes music store to other operators. A draft law which was passed in the lower house of the French Parliament would have required online music retailers like Apple's iTunes to share DRM codes. Apple has refused to do that and has threatened to pull out of France if the law was enacted calling it "state sponsored piracy". The committee has supported the law in principle but will create a regulatory body which would have the power to decide technical details, settle disputes and oversee copyright control. One of the consumer groups which was behind the law say the regulatory body would allow Apple and Microsoft to limit the impact of "interoperability" rules. French socialists said that the proposal would fail to ensure true interoperability and represented a surrender under pressure from Apple. µ
