MSNBC and iTWire have this story.
A report from MSNBC and the Financial Times says that Norway is the first country to make iTunes illegal because the songs it sells can’t be played on other mp3 players.
MSNBC wrote:The decision is the first time any jurisdiction has concluded iTunes breaks its consumer protection laws and could prompt other European countries to review the situation.
The ombudsman has set a deadline of October 1 for the Apple to make its codes available to other technology companies so that it abides by Norwegian law. If it fails to do so, it will be taken to court, fined and eventually closed down.
Australia's iTWire said it nicely
Governments should be very careful about mandating that a company make its proprietary system open for all to use, otherwise why will businesses take the chance to develop new products and services if the Government can just come along and change the rules on you?
Remembering Apple’s reaction when the French tried to do the same, Apple threatened to pull out of the French market entirely. Thankfully, sense prevailed in the French legislature at the time, although the Europeans are still trying to put together some kind of unified stance against Apple.
For more detail, please refer to http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8948/53/ and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16793043/
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