03-22-2006, 10:44 AM
from the WSJ:
"......but Apple said the French action will result in "state-sponsored piracy" by encouraging French users to seek out illegally copied music.
"If this happens, legal music sales will plummet just when legitimate alternatives to piracy are winning over customers," Apple said in the statement. "IPod sales will likely increase as users freely load their iPods with 'interoperable' music which cannot be adequately protected. Free movies for iPods should not be far behind in what will rapidly become a state-sponsored culture of piracy," the company said.
Analysts on Tuesday speculated that Apple might simply abandon the French market with its music products rather than comply with a law that could prompt similar efforts by other governments.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the company's plans beyond the statement.
The legislation – which also introduces new penalties for music pirates – now has to be debated and voted by the Senate, a process expected to begin in May.
Under the bill, companies would be required to reveal the secrets of hitherto-exclusive copy-protection technologies such as Apple's FairPlay format and the ATRAC3 code used by Sony's Connect store and Walkman players. That could permit consumers for the first time to download music directly to their iPods from stores other than iTunes, or to rival music players from iTunes France."