The National Assembly had voted in March to force Apple and other companies to make their music players and online stores compatible with rivals, but key members now say they have agreed to weaker measures endorsed by senators. Currently, tunes purchased at Apple's iTunes Music Store won't play on music players sold by Apple rivals.
Likewise, an Apple iPod can't play songs bought on Napster or other rival music stores. Critics have called the restrictions anti-competitive and anti-consumer.
The draft adopted by the Assembly, France's lower house, contained a blanket demand that companies share their exclusive copy-protection technologies with rivals, effectively free of charge.
But the compromise due to be approved today by a committee of legislators, maintains a Senate loophole that could allow Apple and others to sidestep that requirement. A new regulatory authority would resolve disputes by ordering companies to license their exclusive file formats to rivals.
The Nassau Guardian
