iTunes Store willing, if not ready, to go Europe-wide

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 27 May 2009 05:41

Business IT - Technology

Mooted changes in the administration of intellectual property rights in Europe could see the iTunes Store and other online music retailers open their virtual doors to customers across the continent.

For some time, the European Union has been pushing the idea of extending the 'common market' concept to music downloads.

iTWire previously reported on a round table meeting called last September to discuss the opportunities and barriers to increased online retailing in Europe.

Joining EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes at the meeting were, among others, eBay's John Donahoe,  Roger Faxon of EMI (the first publisher to offer pan-EU licensing), musician Sir Mick Jagger, Apple's Steve Jobs, and Bernard Miyet of French performing rights association SACEM.

Kroes made it clear that she would, if necessary, take action to ensure a competitive online marketplace across member states, especially when it comes to digital music.

A second meeting took place in December, and now the EU has released a report [PDF, 116K] on both discussions.

At the first meeting, Apple's position was that it was not viable to offer the iTunes Store throughout the EU as it must obtain the necessary rights on a per-country basis, and the small size of some local markets means the benefits may be less than the costs incurred.

So what does Apple want? See page 2.