Computerworld: French National Assembly Approves Copyright
Bill
“The French National Assembly approved a digital copyright bill
on Tuesday that will require DRM (digital rights management)
developers to reveal details of their technology to rivals that
wish to build interoperable systems. The bill could affect the
FairPlay DRM used by Apple Computer Inc. in its iTunes Music Store
and iPod music players, and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media DRM,
used by rival French music stores Fnac.com and Virginmega.fr to
lock downloaded tracks to particular music players.“Deputies voted to approve the bill, ‘Authors’ rights and
related rights in an information society,’ by 286 votes to
193…”
ConsortumInfo: A New French Revolution?
“If you follow technology news or music news (or both), you
doubtless know of an amendment to a French on-line copyright bill
that would make it legal to thwart the digital rights protection
(DRM) software of the fabulously successful Apple iTunes/iPod
system. The vote to adopt that legislation takes place in Paris
today, and Apple has stated that if it passes, it may no longer
offer French customers the ability to purchase music from its
iTunes site.“This is pretty juicy news, and therefore most of the press
reports have focused on the commercial consequences for Apple and
other vendors if the law goes into effect. But if the vote passes,
the new law could have a profound impact on the whole landscape of
commerce and standards, extending well beyond DRM, or, and indeed
even beyond content. …”