France approves controversial iTunes bill

March 21, 2006

The lower house of the French Parliament approved Tuesday the controversial digital copyright bill in a vote of 296-193.

The bill, which now moves onto the Senate, would require companies like Apple to provide interoperability technology so that consumers can convert digital content into any playable formats.

Currently, Apple allows only for iTunes downloads to exclusively be uploaded and played by Apple iPod products.

It could affect other businesses in the same arena as Apple including VirginMega.fr, OD2 France, e-compil.fr, fnac.com and Sony Connect.

It also provides penalties, fining people who make files available for download illegally up to 150 euros and those illegally downloading music 38 euros, while fining creators or distributors of illegal downloading software 300,000 euros and up to three years in prison.

While France has said this move would promote legal downloading, critics are claiming otherwise, fearing digital rights management and copyrights could be compromised.

Rate this story - 5 /5 (3 votes)

rank
1
2
3
4
5

view popular

Other News

Government delays new ban on Internet gambling

Technology / Internet

11 hours ago | 3 / 5 (2) | 0

(AP) -- The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are giving U.S. financial institutions an additional six months to comply with regulations designed to ban Internet gambling.

Fujitsu Develops Technology for Low-Temperature Full-Service Direct Formation of Graphene Transistors on Large-Scale Sub

Technology / Semiconductors

11 hours ago | 5 / 5 (5) | 1

Fujitsu Laboratories today announced, as a world first, the development of a novel technology for forming graphene transistors directly on the entire surface of large-scale insulating substrates at low temperatures ...

Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons

Technology / Hi Tech

7 hours ago | 3 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Ariana Leonard's high school students shuffled in their seats, eagerly awaiting a cue from their Spanish teacher that the assignment would begin. "Take out your cell phones," she said in Spanish.

Signal fading on radio traffic reports

Technology / Other

9 hours ago | not rated yet | 1

(AP) -- For more than 20 years, Mike Nolan was known to radio listeners as the "eye in the sky." He flew over Southern California freeways in his single-engine plane, reporting on the nation's worst traffic.

Semantic research sets world standards

Technology / Computer Sciences

17 hours ago | 3.3 / 5 (3) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- European researchers have created new tools for semantic technology development which are helping to set the next generation of official standards. The tools also unblock some key bottlenecks ...