Recent Comments:
Win a super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite and 300 HD DVD! {Engadget}
Jul 31st 2007 6:38PM Pick a scene? The entire movie is awesome from start to beginning. Would be cool to rewatch the HD-DVD version of the movie on a 300-signede Xbox 360!
Apple hit by Swedish anti-iTunes pressure {Engadget}
Jun 13th 2006 3:44PM I know this might be a tough one to swallow for our American friends. Take a look at Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
These four countries have more or less created the "perfect" society. They all have great economies, free education, free medicare and are wealthfare states which takes care of the people. They all have good employment rates, a competitive economy, good growth, low crime and very low corruption .
Their governments are trusted by the people and work for the people. They are the most equal societies in the world, while still giving people the opportunity to get rich and earn millions/billions (just like the in US).
If they have a law which regulates the rights and the contracts that can be made between corporations and consumers, they propably have it for a reason ... Don't you think?
Apple hit by Swedish anti-iTunes pressure {Engadget}
Jun 11th 2006 3:04PM It really is very simple. Apple's Terms & Conditions are illegal in all three Nordic countries. If Apple wants to sell music in Denmark, Sweden and Norway they will have to obey the law and play by the rules there.
I guess those 20 million Scandinavians are quite nice consumers as it's the most developed region in the world when it comes to IT and telecom (and pretty much anything else for that matter).
And yes, the consumers in Scandinavia have way better rights and conditions then their friends in the US. Why is that bad?
I know I might sound like a soft social-liberal European (which is what I am), but you can not always count on raw (US) capitalism to find the best solution
to every problem.
The regulation of DRM rights and rules should be upheld be the government (in the case of Europe by the European Union), not by a bunch of companies. The government is elected by the peoples (the consumers), the corporations are not....
Denmark may join France and demand Apple open its DRM {Engadget}
Mar 27th 2006 3:58PM I doubt that Apple will shut down the iTunes Music Store in the whole EU. And yes, this new legislation will be adopted in the entire EU in some form.
The fact of the matter is that the european market (in general, not only online music) is bigger than the US maret...In almost every consiveable way.
And it's getting bigger by the day.
Because EU business legislation is more strict than US law, it has the biggest impact on the multinational corporations. It's easier to subject to EU rules and legislations than to handle different standards and rules for US and the EU.
And to my American friends (and I mean friends). Just because we in Europe (or at least in Scandinvaia) has opted for a social-liberal welfare state and market economy, it doesn't make us red communist scum.
Take a look at the economical, social and cultural statistics and demographs for US vs. the Scandinavian countries and tell me who's got the least worst system?
That said, I really admire I lot of things about the US. Altough you Americans do really have some serios problems at the moment.
Anyway, that still won't stop me from doing a very cool US roadtrip (Miami -> S.F) later this year ;-)
J. Christensen
A Dane/Scandinavian/European
