Apple has always wanted to control everything. From iPhone applications to the music downloads from iTunes, Apple has always had their hands on the steering wheel. But now Norway is stepping in to take the steering wheel away from Apple. Norway’s top consumer advocate has asked the help of the Norway government and justice system to ask Apple to ditch their anti-copying digital rights management (DRM) technology and open up the iTunes music store to users who do not own an iPod. Bjorn Erik Thon, Norway’s consumer ombudsman, had this to say:
“It’s a consumer’s right to transfer and play digital content bought and downloaded from the internet to the music device he himself chooses to use,” said Bjorn Erik Thon, Norway’s consumer ombudsman. “iTunes makes this impossible or at least difficult, and hence, they act in breach of Norwegian law.”
So if Apple does not comply with the Norwegian govenment, they will be fined. In addition, if Norway wins its case and Apple has to pay fines, the European Union will step in and it might become a staple in the European Union consumer policy. Consumer advoates for Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, and other European countries have supported Thon. So if Apple does not want any trouble in Europe, they better hope they win this case.
- Geoff
[Source: MacWorld]
