French Law to Open iTunes?

As long as Apple is coerced into facilitating such conversions, I find no problem with this law, it basically reveres the DMCA which is an awful law to begin with.

In the end, I think that we all have the right to do whatever we damn well please with our legally purchased music. This is a good law, even if its bad for Apple.

Unfortunetly, Apple will probably withdraw from France. We need this law in the US to force Apple to accept it. Fat chance with the RIAA around...

This law can have some nasty(fun) aftereffects, it would be legal (in France) to convert the WMA-rented music. This law would make the renting of music impossible so all the other WMA stores are almost forced to close there doors and not the ITMS, we can still burn them to CD's and they don't.

great, it keeps piracy illegal while making DRM the same damn illegal ******** that it should be.

+1 for France on this one. a great law we need here in the US that we'll NEVER get.

man, can't wait to see what the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD groups do if this passes. I'm really excited about that possibility though.

What an awesome law! Go France!

this law would certainly alter the landscape in France - I think it would effect subscription music services more than iTunes - the organisations who own content on iTMS France would be the ones who decided if they wanted to stay or not - if they decide to stay then iTMS France simply no longer applies DRM - is there any more to it than that?

If I was running a subscription service I'd be more concerned - what would stop somebody pulling large chunks of the collection during one month and converting it for use outside the subscription platform?

This will be interesting to see how it all plays out!

Unfortunetly, Apple will probably withdraw from France. We need this law in the US to force Apple to accept it. Fat chance with the RIAA around...

I agree. My first guess would be that this is the end of iTMS in France. Of course that is only if the law passes; I don't know much about politics in France, but I would assume that Apple, Sony, MicroSoft and every other company that wants DRM will be lobbying hard against it.

great news. Always love the french. this whole supercapitalistic idea of digital rights ******** is deadborn. only in your dreams Apple!

I don't understand is what the French legislators are thinking. It's not like the iTMS is offering anything that you can't get in other formats. If the consumer doesn't like the "Terms and Conditions" that go with buying iTMS songs, then that consumer can walk to a store and purchase a CD of songs.

I'm sure the article only mentions Apple and iPods because of the dominant mindshare, but I'm assuming this would apply to all providers and products, right? Last I checked, Mac users can't play WMV10 files. Will Microsoft be forced to release the code (and/or DRM) so that people can convert WMV10 files? Also, all of the online music stores (except iTMS) use Microsoft's DRM. Will we Mac users have access to de-crypting the WMA DRM so that we can play them on iPods?

I see a whole can of unintended consequences being opened up here. Plus, I am guessing that Apple will have some untraditional allies (e.g. Napster, Microsoft) in the fight against France.

What concerns me is the provision for prosecuting those who make available software for "illegal sharing."

How do they determine whether file sharing software is for legal or illegal purposes?

Taken as a whole, though, the new proposed laws seem to safeguard more freedoms than they restrict.