Apple set to resolve EU iTunes situation

[AppleInsider]

Apple will soon announce steps to resolve European Commission charges that its iTunes stores broke European Union rules by setting prices country by country in Europe, Reuters is reporting.

Citing people familiar with the situation, the media outlet on Tuesday said an announcement could come as early as this evening, or by Thursday at the latest.

Following the concessions on Apple's behalf, the European Union competition regulator will reportedly announce that it is closing the long-running case involving the pricing of online sales of music and video used in the Cupertino-based company's European digital download services.

Back in April, the European Commission formally charged Apple and the four major record labels with anti-competitive practices in the deals that form the backbone of European iTunes stores.

At the heart of the complaint was the nationalized approach to the online music shops, which are restricted only to buyers who hold accounts in given countries.

Under the model, shoppers are often forced to buy only from their home store, preventing them from earning the best rate. British shoppers are particularly hurt by this, the European Commission said at the time, as the 79p song downloads were the most expensive across the whole region.

For its part, Apple claims to have been pressured into using only localized stores and denies that it had stepped outside legal bounds when it accepted the terms that led to today's fragmented iTunes marketplace.

"Apple has always wanted to operate a single, pan-European iTunes store, accessible by anyone from any member state," a company spokesman said. "But we were advised by the music labels and publishers that there were certain legal limits to the rights they could grant us. We do not believe the company did anything to violate EU law, and we will continue to work with the EU to resolve this matter."

Spokespeople for Apple and the four major record labels had no comment on the latest report.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[melgross]

I really hope this will be over shortly.

[Stange]

I only want one iTunes Store. I want world releases on iTunes Store. Then i'm totaly satisfied.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Stange

I only want one iTunes Store. I want world releases on iTunes Store. Then i'm totaly satisfied.

I'm sure Apple would LOVE that.

[studiomusic]

I would love that.
I would like to be able to buy French artists stuff with my US account.

[freelander51]

Originally Posted by studiomusic

I would love that.

Ditto here - even iTunes blocks if you want to have more then five accounts on on computer....(think three people with two accounts each) what a lotta crap

[djames42]

Originally Posted by studiomusic

I would like to be able to buy French artists stuff with my US account.

There are ways around this, in case you're not aware. You can set up accounts in foreign stores using prepaid music cards... I have an account on the Japan iTMS in addition to my US account, for example...

[pmoeser]

... died out and so will record companies and movie studios unless they realise the playing field has changed and their CUSTOMERS now want to have a say in how WE give them our money.
They forced Apple into multi stores in the EU
They are keeping TV shows and movies out of Australia
They are denying free choice in the digital world and prolonging piracy which ultimately denies the artist of their rightful income.
It almost looks like they want to allow piracy so they can continue to sue grandmas and small children as a new revenue stream to replace dropping CD and DVD sales
Bring on Apple's own record company!

[Messiah]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

British shoppers are particularly hurt by this

Oh there's a fecking surprise – that's hardly news to UK residents.

With the £ worth almost twice as much as the $ at the moment, it's still common practice to find manufacturers simply swapping the £ sign for the $ on the price tag, an enjoying a 200% mark-up at our expense.

How much is that RAM in the US?

$100.

How much is the same RAM in the UK?

£100.

[rhowarth]

Let's play devil's advocate and ask what rights do you have as a content owner? Let's say you write your own software or record your own music, and for whatever reasons of your own (political, moral, commercial, or just down to prejudice) decide you don't want people outside your own country, or in country X, to be able to buy it. Do you have the right not to sell it to them...?

-Rolf

[lfmorrison]

Originally Posted by rhowarth

Let's play devil's advocate and ask what rights do you have as a content owner? Let's say you write your own software or record your own music, and for whatever reasons of your own (political, moral, commercial, or just down to prejudice) decide you don't want people outside your own country, or in country X, to be able to buy it. Do you have the right not to sell it to them...?

-Rolf

I don't know about where you live, but in any country that has derived its legal system from the British common law, such as the United States, the answer is generally yes.

Advertising a product for sale does not constitute a binding offer to sell. Rather, it constitutes an offer to "make a deal". The purchaser responds with an offer to buy, and the vendor is then free to accept or reject each individual offer on a case-by-case basis.

However, there may be other factors at play; for example, there is some precedent which says that a vendor who can be demonstrated to be refusing to do business solely due to discrimination on the basis of certain prohibited traits (for example, the ethnicity, gender or religion of a potential buyer), may be compelled to sell. Note that "ethnicity" and "nationality" are not synonymous.

[Walter Slocombe]

seems they are going to drop the UK price, within the next 6 months {sources say}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7178651.stm

looks likely to drop to about 74p ho hum

[melgross]

Originally Posted by rhowarth

Let's play devil's advocate and ask what rights do you have as a content owner? Let's say you write your own software or record your own music, and for whatever reasons of your own (political, moral, commercial, or just down to prejudice) decide you don't want people outside your own country, or in country X, to be able to buy it. Do you have the right not to sell it to them...?

-Rolf

You're allowed to control your own distribution.