Apple facing lawsuit over iTunes DRM
Norwegian group wants to listen to iTunes on non-Apple devices
1 October 2008 11:00 GMT / By Katie Scott
Apple is facing a lawsuit over the fact that iTunes content will not play on anything other than Apple Devices.
A consumer group in Norway has mobilised and is going to take the computer giant to court over what it claims are "unfair barriers".
And it is encouraging groups in other countries to do the same.
Consumer Ombudsman Bjoern Erik Thon told Reuters: "I want them [Apple] to make their services interoperable so that you can play music bought on iTunes on other devices, including mobile phones".
Thon added that, despite pressure, Apple hasn’t done enough to change its DRM model.
"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". Thon said and added: "iTunes makes this impossible or at least difficult, and hence, they act in breach of Norwegian law".
Thon's agency is now working with consumer groups in Scandinavia, Germany and France to put pressure on iTunes.
"Next we will try to gather a number of countries to support this case, although this case will be brought in front of the Norwegian Market Council and handled according to Norwegian law", he explained.
"It is important to show that we have a broad alliance of consumer bodies backing us, and if we win this case, I hope they will follow in our footsteps and take action", he concluded.
Apple is not commenting.
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