(Associated Press via NewsEdge) More European countries are pressuring Apple Computer to open its iTunes Music Store so purchased songs could be played on any portable music player and not just the iPod.
Consumer agencies in Norway, Sweden and Denmark last week sent a joint letter to Apple, saying the iPod maker is violating their contract and copyright laws with its product usage restrictions.
The regulators have extended their deadline from June 21 to August 1 for Apple to respond. The agencies could take Apple to court if they're not satisfied with the answer.
The agencies could seek injunctions against Apple, banning iTunes from their markets.
However, the agencies are 'hoping to establish a joint and constructive dialogue to rectify the situation,' the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman said.
The agencies contend that Apple's system of making its market-leading iPod players the only compatible portable player for iTunes downloads is illegal and tramples consumers' rights.
'Consumers must be free to choose the equipment and software they want to use. Access to content should not be limited by accidental choices of technology,' Torgeir Waterhouse, a senior adviser on the Norwegian Consumer Council, wrote in a complaint that was upheld last week by the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman.
The Scandinavian troubles for iTunes come as the French Parliament is poised to vote soon on legislation that could force all electronic gadgets to be 'interoperable.'
c 2006 The Associated Press
c 2006 Dialog, a Thomson business. All rights reserved