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Author Topic: Norway says iTunes is illegal  (Read 6541 times)

Offline antony

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« on: January 26, 2007, 12:03:10 AM »


A report from MSNBC and the Financial Times says that Norway is the first country to make iTunes illegal because the songs it sells can’t be played on other mp3 players.

QUOTE("MSNBC")
The decision is the first time any jurisdiction has concluded iTunes breaks its consumer protection laws and could prompt other European countries to review the situation.

The ombudsman has set a deadline of October 1 for the Apple to make its codes available to other technology companies so that it abides by Norwegian law. If it fails to do so, it will be taken to court, fined and eventually closed down.


Australia's iTWire said it nicely

Governments should be very careful about mandating that a company make its proprietary system open for all to use, otherwise why will businesses take the chance to develop new products and services if the Government can just come along and change the rules on you?

Remembering Apple’s reaction when the French tried to do the same, Apple threatened to pull out of the French market entirely. Thankfully, sense prevailed in the French legislature at the time, although the Europeans are still trying to put together some kind of unified stance against Apple.

For more detail, please refer to http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8948/53/ and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16793043/
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Offline Frances144

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2007, 04:29:53 AM »
I love the Norwegians!

Shetland has a very close relationship (not just geographical) to Norway!  Very close!

Oooooh, I wonder if they will make iTunes illegal in Shetland too!!!
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Offline Gregg

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2007, 07:46:42 AM »
...and have they gone after the Evil Empire too????
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Offline sandyman

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2007, 07:53:34 AM »
It looks as though Norway will be followed by the Netherlands and possibly others The Register. This could lead, I suppose to the EC taking the matter up. I doubt that any nation would be able to block this sort of case by using its' veto so it could be bad news for Apple.




QUOTE(Gregg @ Jan 26 2007, 01:46 PM) [snapback]117048[/snapback]
...and have they gone after the Evil Empire too????

The EU still has other ongoing cases running against MS.  I've seen one posting on a mailing list which suggests that Vista could run up against EU law as well.
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Offline Paddy

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2007, 09:45:20 AM »
Would someone please explain to me why this is any different from any software that is platform dependent??? Or any other "proprietary" product? If you buy a video on a Blu-Ray disc, is anyone going to listen when you start complaining because it doesn't play on your old DVD player???

If you don't want to buy from the iTunes store because you want your downloads to play anywhere then simply don't buy 'em there. End of story.

I bet Microsoft's fingers are deep in this particular pie... dry.gif
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Offline Gregg

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2007, 12:05:32 PM »
Exactly, Paddy! So much for the "free" market.
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Offline sandyman

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2007, 12:19:54 PM »
Because in this case it's only Apple's proprietary DRM which is the issue. The actual music format is not the problem.  Does anyone remember the real media case?
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Offline tacit

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2007, 12:42:42 PM »
QUOTE(Paddy @ Jan 26 2007, 03:45 PM) [snapback]117058[/snapback]
Would someone please explain to me why this is any different from any software that is platform dependent??? Or any other "proprietary" product? If you buy a video on a Blu-Ray disc, is anyone going to listen when you start complaining because it doesn't play on your old DVD player???


If only one company made Blu-Ray DVD players, and that company refused to allow any other company to make Blu-Ray DVD players, and that company also signed exclusive agreements where certain studios would release their movies only on Blu-Ray...

...then yes.

The issue here is that no other company is allowed to make players that play iTunes music, and iTunes has exclusive deals with some music producers. It's not about not being able to play your music on MP3 players; it's about the fact that you can only play the music on Apple players and no other company is permitted to make players that will play it.
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Offline D76

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2007, 02:56:55 PM »
QUOTE(tacit @ Jan 26 2007, 01:42 PM) [snapback]117075[/snapback]
It's not about not being able to play your music on MP3 players; it's about the fact that you can only play the music on Apple players and no other company is permitted to make players that will play it.
Just as Microsoft refuses to allow me to play  it's DRM "protected" WMP files, which locks me out of the CTV television network videos on the net, the Globe and Mail's videos on the net and every other DRM Windows-only videos and audio everywhere else on the net?
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Offline krissel

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2007, 11:04:46 PM »
Besides, if the only place to get a particular song were at iTunes then the argument might have merit. But the vast majority of the songs are available elsewhere, if not online, then on CD. So as Paddy says, buy them someplace else.

And as D76 suggests, if this is to be taken any further we will soon see all software being forced to be compatible with all OSes...no such thing as proprietary anything anymore. And while that may initially sound good, it would be a major blow to capitalistic ventures everywhere. Lacking altruistic motives, much of present day innovation would not exist.

This sounds more like the Open Source community behind the move more than MicroSoft. Thinking.gif
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Offline Gregg

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2007, 09:47:16 PM »
QUOTE(tacit @ Jan 26 2007, 12:42 PM) [snapback]117075[/snapback]
iTunes has exclusive deals with some music producers.


That seems to be the key point, if it means that the music is not available in any other format.
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Offline Paddy

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2007, 10:32:41 PM »
How about looking at it from the other end...since when was an artist supposed to be forced into making his/her music (art) available to all? If an artist CHOOSES to only have music available on iTunes, shouldn't that artist be allowed to do so? Knowing full well that the music will only play in iTunes on a computer or on an iPod?

And of course, most people have already figured out that if you burn an iTunes song to a CD, you can then turn around and rip it back as an MP3 without the DRM limitations.

http://www.burningthumb.com/drmdumpster.html

Seems to me, that if as the DRM Dumpster site says, Apple agrees that this is ok, the Norwegians haven't got much of a leg to stand on.
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Offline sandyman

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2007, 09:33:06 AM »
QUOTE(krissel @ Jan 27 2007, 05:04 AM) [snapback]117103[/snapback]
Besides, if the only place to get a particular song were at iTunes then the argument might have merit. But the vast majority of the songs are available elsewhere, if not online, then on CD. So as Paddy says, buy them someplace else.

And as D76 suggests, if this is to be taken any further we will soon see all software being forced to be compatible with all OSes...no such thing as proprietary anything anymore. And while that may initially sound good, it would be a major blow to capitalistic ventures everywhere. Lacking altruistic motives, much of present day innovation would not exist.

This sounds more like the Open Source community behind the move more than MicroSoft. Thinking.gif


However if taken to it's logical conclusion this would allow Microsoft to prevent other OS's from interacting with Windows.
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2007, 02:56:25 PM »
I can't remember ever seeing "logical" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence... rolleyes.gif
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Offline sandyman

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Norway says iTunes is illegal
« Reply #14 on: January 28, 2007, 03:13:53 PM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jan 28 2007, 08:56 PM) [snapback]117237[/snapback]
I can't remember ever seeing "logical" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence... rolleyes.gif

Groan......

I suppose it's a bit like "Microsoft Works"  smile.gif
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