14 DAY TRIAL // On the 30th of June, voting will take place on the new French bill, which will then become law. Meanwhile Apple is waiting to see how things turn out.
This week, the French will vote on the bill that would force interoperability between portable music players and digital music services. In its current incarnation, the bill is based on amendments proposed in the Senate last month, but it will not be subject to a second reading that could introduce major changes.
"We are awaiting the final result of France's legislative process," Apple spokesman Alan Hely said in an emailed statement. "(We) hope they let the .... marketplace ... decide which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers."
So far, the bill has seen major changes that have 'softened' it up and has left companies loopholes that would permit them to avoid it if they could prove that the restrictions are the wishes of the content's copyright owners.
Consumer groups have criticized the amendments and the opposition Socialists denounced the compromise as a "facade", which amounted to a "capitulation" to Apple and Microsoft.
Apple is without a doubt eager to find out how this turns out, and the rest of the European Union is also keeping a close eye as Apple is being scrutinized for similar reasons in other countries such as Norway.