Apple this week responded angrily to a French law banning music companies using proprietary DRM software, that prevented consumers from playing purchased music on any device they want. In a press release, Apple described the law as "state sponsored piracy", and appeared to have gained the backing of the US Government.
However, Apples stance is very different from comments made by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
The Songbird blog has done some digging. From old interviews, Job"s seems to make his position crystal clear. "
In 2002, Steve Jobs said, "If you legally acquire music, you need to have the
right to manage it on all other devices that you own."
In 2006, France said, "The consumer must be able to listen to the music they have bought on
no matter what platform." Jobs, remarkably, appears to be backing consumer rights and the position taken by the French government, non?
The law has yet to pass the upper house in France, whom will vote on the matter in the coming weeks. However, it seems unlikely that Apple will stick about. The prospect of opening up the lock-in between the iTunes music store and the iPod would seem highly un-attractive. The French market reportedly represents 5% of total iTunes revenue.