“European Union consumer chief Meglena Kuneva has hit out at Apple’s bundling of its popular iPod music players and its iTunes online music store, according to German weekly magazine Focus,” Reuters reports.
“‘Do you think it’s fine that a CD plays in all CD players but that an iTunes song only plays in an iPod? I don’t. Something has to change,’ EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Kuneva was quoted as saying in a preview of an interview to be published on Monday.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam W.” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: The something that has to change is the EU consumer chief’s target. It’s the music labels, not Apple, stupid. Oh, by the way, iTunes Store songs don’t “only play in an iPod.” How about first learning about the product upon which you’re commenting, Ms. Kuneva? We know, that’s a novel idea. For the record, iTunes Store songs can be played an any Mac or PC, certain Motorola mobile phones, and can also be burned to CD and played anywhere, even – gasp! – ripped into any format for the also-ran, barely-in-business, crapola MP3 player that your addled and ancient Great Aunt Edith bought you by mistake last Christmas which the store wouldn’t take back on December 26th.
We can’t wait for the EU, Norway, France, et al. to require Microsoft IE-only websites to work in other browsers; after all, there are tens of millions of Mac users and many millions more Firefox users than there are owners of also-ran MP3 players that are being unfairly excluded. Do you think it’s fine that a standards-compliant website works in all browsers but that certain government, banking, state-run broadcasting, and other websites and online services only work in IE and/or Windows? We don’t. Cue righteous indignation bordering on the hysterical: “Something has to change!”
Apple’s iTunes Music store works on Macs and Windows PCs. All of the other major also-ran services we’ve seen use Microsoft DRM and exclude tens of millions of Mac users (which, incidentally, might go a long way towards explaining why they’re also-rans).
Hopefully, the end result of this stuff will be the end of DRM and any negative impact will not be unfairly focused solely on Apple. Either all companies trying to sell music have to make their ineffective and useless DRMs perfectly interoperable (good luck with that) or all companies have to stop with the meaningless DRM schemes. It’s the music labels that should be the EU’s and Norway’s and whomever else’s focus. Pressure the music labels, dummies, not Apple!
Since Apple does not own or control any music itself, it must license the rights to distribute music from others, primarily the “big four” music companies: Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI. These four companies control the distribution of over 70% of the world’s music. When Apple approached these companies to license their music to distribute legally over the Internet, they were extremely cautious and required Apple to protect their music from being illegally copied. The solution was to create a DRM system, which envelopes each song purchased from the iTunes store in special and secret software so that it cannot be played on unauthorized devices.
Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat. If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store. – Apple CEO Steve Jobs, February 6, 2007
Steve Job’s complete “Thoughts on Music” open letter here.
Related articles:
Anti-DRM activists rap Steve Jobs; Group petitions Apple CEO to remove FairPlay DRM software – March 10, 2007
Is DRM doomed? – March 09, 2007
How Apple’s FairPlay DRM works – February 26, 2007
Windows Vista’s DRM is bad news – February 14, 2007
Monster Cable announces full support of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ call for DRM-free music – February 13, 2007
Recording Industry Association of America wants their DRM, calls for Apple to license FairPlay – February 08, 2007
Warner’s Middlebronfman: Jobs’ DRM-free music call ‘without logic and merit, we’ll not abandon DRM’ – February 08, 2007
Dvorak: Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dead right about DRM – February 07, 2007
Apple’s Jobs jolts music industry; Zune exec calls Jobs’ call for DRM-free music ‘irresponsible’ – February 07, 2007
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ posts rare open letter: ‘Thoughts on Music’ – calls for DRM-free music – February 06, 2007
Norwegian Ombudsman: Apple’s FairPlay DRM is illegal in Norway – January 24, 2007
Major music labels ponder DRM-free future – January 23, 2007
How about their expectations? I’m guessing that’s unlikely.
OK. It’s starging to look like an old Rock and a Hard Place kind of situation.
Maybe Apple should pull out of selling to the EU? Probably not a good move.
If they go to the labels right now and ask them to allow Apple to open up the DRM of the songs they sell, they’re probably gonna get some proposed crap like the deal Universal ‘pulled-over’ on Microsoft, i.e. they want a percentage of the value of every iPod sold.
Why exactly the labels feel they should get *any* money for anything these days is beyond me. What exactly do they bring to the table? Nobody markets music they way they still insist on trying to do it. Ads in local and national music mags? Please!
.
What about the music label companies ? there is a thought
I love when you dumbasses say nonsense like “maybe x should pull out of europe”.
Can you even start to comprehend what would mean to Apple to lose 690 million potential clients? The European Union alone is made of 27 (!) countries which totals 492 million people! Also the EU has the world’s largest economy with an estimated nominal GDP of 14.2 trillion USD (2006) accounting for 35% of world GDP!
Think a bit before making stupid comments…
MILF
http://www.billgatesforpresident.net/35/we-give-up.html
Let them know how dumb and idea this is. Bunch of MS fanbois
This one not so much.
And what was stopping the developers of the cd or dvd or vhs or any other format from not licensing their technology? Nothing. They just decided that they had to in order to ensure it took off and became the standard. Do Sony allow people to make PS3’s which they can then run games on? Do Nintendo with the wii? Microsoft? No. If they want music to run on all formats then they’ve got to have open DRM – which for a variety of reasons won’t work or they remove DRM. Ultimately it’s not Apple or any other format provider they need to speak to.
On another note: The EU is still letting MS off the hook on software anti-trust issues.
Have you seen the new Vista? It defaults to IE!?!?
Didn’t this get MS in trouble in the first place?
Not only does it default to IE, you can’t change it to any other browser.
Plus it doesn’t remember your settings after you close Firefox, etc.
Why doesn’t the IE complete one issue before going after a real non-issue of iTUnes/iPod which is originally purchased as a close system.
My 2 cents.
In addition to exposing the commissioner’s lack of understanding of the issue at hand, this article is also a poor translation.
Hit out? Was she playing baseball? Cricket?
I would venture a guess that she lashed out at Apple.
The EU extortion/protection racket sounds off again. That’s what happens when socialists run things — into the ground.
How come Halo 2 only plays on an xBox? I can play Halo 1 also on Mac and Windows PCs? Why not on my PS2? Or my Gameboy? I demand satisfaction!
I’m wondering if she has stopped to consider why a CD plays in any CD player: BECAUSE THERE’S NO DRM!!!
Hey MDN,
Did it even occur to you for a second she was talking about the music labels? Or are you always attacking anyone to make smoke and noise! Talk about MY RDF!
Bozos.
S.
p.s. The magic word is “basic,” as in MDN doesn’t do it…
Apple locks you in and you love it.
What we have here is a clear example of playing on both sides of the fence. On the one side Apple tells you that physical media is old and dying and that portable music players are the future. On the other side they tell you that you aren’t being locked in because you cam burn your iTunes purchased music to CD. They’ll tell you you can burn your music, but at the same time they’re subtle belittling you for being behind the times out the other side of their mouth.
For shame. If you truly care about freeing up music, strip off Fairplay. Let’s actually see how much the record execs would enjoy losing billions in revenue should they have the spine to pull their music.
rawr
It would be good for the EU to take the lead on this. It is about time iTS and other online stores were forced to sell in open formats that can be played on all players.
@ deedubya
shyeah… She so hot when she legislates.
Fake Steve’s take is great: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/
Ms. Sourpuss says it’s not right that iTunes songs only play on an iPod. She’s very, very upset about this. Well, folks, isn’t this just your typical European nanny state mentality? Why should a government feel the need to get involved in this? Meg, if your subjects don’t like the way iTunes and iPods are set up, they don’t have to buy them. They have absolute freedom of choice here. The market can vote with its dollars. I realize this is probably a novel concept for someone from, um, Bulgaria. No, seriously. I really do want to get some lessons in morality from a politician whose native country sided with the Nazis in the second World War, then fell in with the Soviets for a few decades. Yep. Please, Meglena Kuneva. Please teach me right from wrong…
From her photo, she looks like fresh meat for by bitch bed
Hey Jorge.
Bite me.
Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that socialists do not understand the free market. There’s probably a bit of jealousy at work here, too. Don’t forget that to Europeans, America is still the upstart country, and hoity-toity Euros hate being upstaged (even if doing so is child’s play).
I’m sure the woman is hot, but aren’t all psycho, or ill-intentioned women?
Europe cannot let go of Marxism…
These geniuses seem to think that by GIVING everything to the
people, all will be blissful. Down with the American tech
bourgeois, let the proletarians RISE!!!!
Something for nothing with always end in stagnation.
SOUND FAMILIAR EUROS?????
Get a clue, work for something for a change! Your 0.79EUR
songs can be played on MANY appliances. Your real beef is with
the labels.
Possible captions for that photo of Meglena Kuneva:
“What are you doing to my Bulgarian Shepherd?”
“If Bush squeezes my shoulders, I will make him pay.”
“What happened to Oasis?”
“Andrey is late. Again. I will make him pay.”
“Damn, I’m hot for 54.”
yikes – another half-informed, FUD-slurping bureaucrat…
“I don’t think she was stating it as a definitive policy position. At this stage it is her gut instinct,” spokeswoman Helen Kearns said.
translation: my boss is a hand puppet and doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but we’ll get back to you…
Apple should start licensing Fairplay. People will continue to buy iPod’s and use ITMS because they’re the best on the market plus they’ll make money from all the other MP3 players on the market.
Bloody Bulgerians
And people wonder why in the UK we get on better with the yanks than europe.
MW fiscal as in i want my money back you cheese eating surrender monkeys
Great ‘Ms Grumpy’ picture — wouldn’t like to meet her in a dark alley!
Before it dramatically failed, didn’t Europe do everything it could to make Airbus the dominant aircraft manufacturer in the world?
In that scenario 99% marketshare would have been just fine.
Politicians and bureaucrats. Aren’t they just loathesome.
You know that Americans are starting to lose their last functioning brain cells when a call for more freedom is called “socialism” and “marxism”. My dear stupid, uncivilised Americans, you will never, ever be considered superior to Europe.
But yes, Big Music, not Apple, is to blame.
MW: ‘nation’ as in ‘USA: a nation in decline’.
Busting His Own Skull (aka BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots):
Clearly you speak with the knowledge of a person who has never stepped foot outside of his own state. You truly have no clue what you are talking about. It’s attitudes like yours that give the USA a bad name, especially considering how dependent the USA is on so many different countries for its very survival.
One and One Half of the Big Four Labels are European.
The EU Commish is just saying what she’s told to say.
The EU is becoming almost as protectionist as the USA.
Whatever happened to the free market system?
I’m sorry, but if Apple pulled iTunes out of Europe, it wouldn’t be that big of a loss. Just take a look at their sales numbers and you can see that they do the overwhelming bulk of their music business in North America, not in Europe. Besides, the EU needs to take care of their own greedy labels first if they care so much about consumers and quit worrying about Apple. The EU has basically become a quasi-Communist state anyway.
Blah blah blah Europeans rubbish blah blah nazi lovers blah blah….
Doesn’t most of Apples industrial design team come from Europe?
God these Americans! Go blow up some allies in some war somewhere. You’re very good at that.
I’m pissed off that my LPS, cassettes, DATs, and DVDs don’t play in my CD player. What the hell is Mme. Kuneva doing about that?!
JBS,
FYI over 40% of Apple’s TOTAL revenue for 2006 came from Europe.
You knew that, right? I mean, since you’re such a genius and all…
If Apple pulled anything from any region, it would a serious effect on their bottom line. Apple is becoming more and more of a major player in Europe, which is why the EU is going after them, plain and simple.
The EU has idiot politicians, but they’re no worse than the bunch we have in the White House right now.
MW: “simple” as in …tons. Or simple solution: ban DRM. In DVDs too, eh?
Some of the above comments are hilarious. Bunch of whinging jingoistic Americans going on about how European “Socialist” economies aren’t working, and all the time the US dollar gets weaker and weaker.
“Socialist” Europe seems to be doing a lot better than you lot, whilst giving its citizens free healthcare and a whole bunch of other stuff you wish you had
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Back on topic, MDN has a good point. Too much stuff broadcast across the Internet now requires Windows. When is the EU going to force Microsoft to open its DRM?
Meglana is probably as good at reading maps as she is at all this tech stuff.
SJ wrong footed them all by offering to do away with DRM altogether.
She needs a good briefer to show her what an iPod can and cannot do. Perhaps the next time she is in London she should pop in to the Regents Street Store and get info instead of hearsay.
I have this uncontrollable urge to tell Meglena that I need to be punished.
Yet another flunkie getting kickbacks from Allofmp3.com wanting to look like St. George. Wrong dragon, graftster.
***biggest d*ck contest alert***
American a**holes vs. European weenies!
no reasonable voices heard!
abandon thread! abandon thread!
There is just no limit to the STUPIDITY and arrogance of these people.
I guess you can see that in the photo. My god!
Jesus f’ing Christ. I’ve been known to allow myself to be baited into a liberal vs conservative argument here, but why the hell are we talking about Socialism and Marxism? My fellow Americans seem a little jumpy.
On the other hand, “Proud Yurpean,” I know my country sucks at the moment, at least until 2008, but I don’t need you nor any other European to remind me of that.
elReg points out how easy it is to circumvent the Apple DRM.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/12/eu_kuneva_interoperability/
Hey EU! Get your head out of your arse! Perhaps then you will who really is controlling the DRM stadium. Certainly not Apple!
One solution to this is for all download sites to use the same DRM. That way all would have the protection (excuse me) of a DRM system but be inter operable. Now imagine if the record companies agree to this and they all decide to use WMA? God help us but it could happen.
Nobody who comments in the EU understands that it is not Apple that is forcing DRM it’s the record labels. Why is this so hard to understand. And Windows online sites are worse violators than iTunes has ever been with there propriatary IE6 only stores which means Mac users can’t even access there sites let alone buy anything. First like MDN said in there story is that they need to get there facts straight before mouthing off about things they don’t understand. Fact, iTunes music can be played on a Mac or PC unlike the rest of those Windows only stores. Fact, iTunes music can be burned to a CD and then played on any device that can play a CD. Fact, iTunes music can be ripped back into iTunes from that CD and then you can move that music to any MP3 player and play it on that too. So with those 3 facts, the EU doesn’t have a case. If they really don’t like DRM they need to talk with the record labels that are forcing Apple to sell there music with it to remove it. Apple and Steve Jobs cannot remove DRM or modify it either without the record labels permission. End of story.
I have a difficult time determining which group is more stupid: EU or the music labels. Each appears eager to outdo the other in wearisome and illogical arguments.
Here’s a thought. Lets petition the EU to declare DRM illegal and then everyone woukd be happy.
Hey Eurotrash losers…BITE MY BIG AMERICAN BALLS!!!
You are has-beens.
MDN says that Kuneva needs to change her target. But Kuneva didn’t name a target — she simply stated that she doesn’t think it’s fair that “a CD plays in all CD players but that an iTunes song only plays in an iPod”.
This statement of hers simply states the current situation. I didn’t see any accusations of who’s responsible for it. But you know what? I don’t think it’s fair, either — and any rational person wouldn’t.
Kuneva is right. “Something” does have to change. As far as that statement goes, I 100% agree — and so should all of you if you have any self-respect as a consumer.
Of course Apple isn’t going to pull out of Europe.
But they could shut down eurpoean iTS… or at least take the music off.
Apple makes its money on iPods and macs. The losers in the iTS shutdown scenario are, ironically, the record labels, who lose a revenue stream and a legal channel.
The “lock-in” myth is negated when one looks at iTS songs per iPods.
Waffled!!!!