Digital Home Thoughts: BetaNews: iTunes DRM Likely Safe in France

"The ability of Apple to keep iTunes DRM closed in France, as well as the service's future in the country, may be safe thanks to an amendment to a copyright bill to be voted on by the Senate this week. Under the amendment, music stores would be allowed to keep their exclusivity only after receiving the go-ahead from copyright holders and artists. Lawmakers are attempting to tone down a bill that would essentially make closed digital rights management technologies illegal in the country. The changes have received the blessing of the government and several consumer groups, and the bill passed the lower house of the French legislature in late March."

Score: DRM - 1, Consumers - 0. While the iTunes Music Store has arguably the most successful DRM scheme in place today, it still limits consumers to Apple's iPod platform, and Apple refuses to license FairPlay. While I understand wanting to protect copyrights and preserve profits, the opposing argument is stronger and supported by several independent studies. That is, users who "illegally" download music also spend more money on legal downloads than those that don't. Why not foster such a system, rather than try to restrict or eliminate it, especially if it means higher sales and profits? :?