French iTunes law now, um, law; Apple takes stand against Scandis
Last we heard, the France's Constitutional Court had approved the iTunes law -- altered, mixed up a bit, but still generally intact -- for the final signature by President Jacques Chirac. The President, of course, has now signed the bill, which among other things now effectively mandates a regulatory committee to oversee DRM issues in the country when formed this fall. According to USA Today, Apple appears to have fallen silent on France for now, but they certainly weren't entirely reserved on one of the other FairPlay-challenging motions in the region. In a 50-page statement released to the public by Norway's consumer agency, Apple appeared rather vocal with regard to the Scandi iPod regulations and laws currently being erected. Their take? You guessed it. Apple was described as "defiant," and apparently appeased few of the demands made by the consumer ombudsmen attempting to bring order to the situation, only causing further frustration and vexation for consumer advocates and, well, consumers. In a nutshell, Apple expressed their disinterest in changing their business model to accommodate Scandinavian consumers' demands; if you found anything in this post at all surprising, you probably haven't been reading long or paying much attention, but if there's any one thing that's clear, it's that things are going to get much harder for Apple Europe before they get any easier.
Read - iPod law now law
Read - Apple defends selves against Scandinavian consumer groups
