It's a bad thing
One European-wide store can only mean more David Hasselhoff and more Roxette.
One European-wide store can only mean more David Hasselhoff and more Roxette.
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EU iTunes Antitrust Probe
- Thread starter BoyBach
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I think that there must be some worldwide conspiracy preventing us from listening to Europop!
Price tiering structure should be equal amongst all of the countries of the EU. If they have a single standard of currency then what are they doing with various distribution rights?
Grr... frustrating... Apple is now in between a rock and a hard place considering that it's the govt. laws at fault.
soo... I can get a friend who lives in NY to buy me a gift card and then download movies from iTS?
The European Commision just means a lot of bureaucracy and socialistic stuff. And nobody in EU actually understands what that guys really want.
They are shipping a physical product that some company negotiated the rights to manufacture (copy) and they are shipping from a known location... and most importantly physical shipments have long existed and hence have long since normalized in how they are done and what laws govern them.
In the case of Apple they are delivering a digital copy to the customer and the system generally sees the location of the delivered copy as being region that Apple would have to have distribution right in. Think of Apple like a radio station... radio stations have to negotiate for the rights to "distribute" in the region they operate in.
In other words the online world is stuck in an ill-defined legal reality at the moment and also since it is a new market the parties involved (record labels, trade organizations, unions, Apple, and governments) are attempting to impose contracts, etc. that are favorable to them since wiggle room exists... trying to set precedents.
Exactly. Plus, while registering, you have to enter some faked U.S. adress with existing zip-code.
aha.. so a new account aswell.. I guess that would be a bit unethical to do, then..
I think I'll pass for now, then, but thanks a lot for answering. Additionally labels have licensed exclusive distribution rights to particular companies in a given country or region. These contracts affect what distribution rights Apple (and others) can get and who they pay.
For example record label A granted distribution rights to some of its catalog to company B in UK and company C in France. Now say I live in France and buy something from the UK store... Apple delivers me a digital copy, the copy exists in France... now who gets payed, etc.?
Not necessarily. As I posted in the other thread, do you honestly think EMI would have agreed to non-DRMd sales if the Commission hadn't made its voice heard on the matter?
It's difficult for Americans to understand because the Commission spends a lot of time pointing out where business needs to shape up for the benefit of the customers and telling them to sort it or else. The USA doesn't really have an equivalent to this. As a result everything over there is left to the free market, which can work very well but also is open to abuse by dominant players (like the record company cartel).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that no system is perfect, but just because it's different to what you're used to doesn't make it wrong.
No it doesn't.
The law is that every EU citizen can buy from any store anywhere in the EU. So, if something is cheaper in France than it is in Germany, a German customer can hop across the border and buy it in France.
This tends to harmonize prices (especially on goods that are easy to transport), but that's not what the law requires.
BUt isn't this a complete JOKE? Why should I have to obtain a license to listen to Vanessa Paradis or Edith Piaf?
From what I remember from long ago, I had the feeling that the legal agreements between labels, artists, distributors, etc. PREVENTED there being one store. For instance, I thought some artists were actually on a different label in one country vs. another.
In which case, this might not even be the labels' fault totally? Anyway, not Apple's fault--Apple wants one single store too.
And the EU surelu knows that. Maybe legal pressure on Apple is the only way they can proceed? Maybe Apple can use that as leverage to make the labels agree to one store if that's possible.
In other words, maybe Apple's happy about this pressure You never know.
In which case, this might not even be the labels' fault totally? Anyway, not Apple's fault--Apple wants one single store too.
And the EU surelu knows that. Maybe legal pressure on Apple is the only way they can proceed? Maybe Apple can use that as leverage to make the labels agree to one store if that's possible.
In other words, maybe Apple's happy about this pressure
You never know.I am not being pro Apple here or anti EC/EU, but the EC sounds to me like the new dictatorial system in the whole Europe. They give deadlines to meet their requirements and sue these private companies particularly non-european companies. But most major music companies are european based and they cannot or don't investigate them. Also, is Apple right in saying that there are legal parameters in not having one iTunes for the whole europe. is this also the reason why it took some time for apple to have iTunes for different countries?
If so, can't EC find out these within their own doorstep? + x
If so, can't EC find out these within their own doorstep? + x
Huh, I live in EU my whole life (ok, the life is not THAT long) and I really don't like the way EU is heading. It's not only some musical stuff, it's more about bureaucracy and - what comes with bureaucracy - corruption.
I like the free market idea - and I hate socialistic / communistic idea of "shaping the market to the right form". Who say what is the right form? Only market itself.
This is more or less question of politics; however, if your country is in EU and the country want to be more liberal and less dependent on Brussels, they call you "euro-skeptic".
As I said before - the market has to shape the market, not the government. And that's why U.S.A. will still be more succesful in economics than whole EU. It's that simple I think.
As I said before - the market has to shape the market, not the government. And that's why U.S.A. will still be more succesful in economics than whole EU. It's that simple I think.
Yeah right. We have the largest debt ratio here. I wouldn't call that successful by any means.
The European Commission in this case is demanding that you have the right to shop around for the cheapest price for something, and you think this is a bad thing??Huh, I live in EU my whole life (ok, the life is not THAT long) and I really don't like the way EU is heading. It's not only some musical stuff, it's more about bureaucracy and - what comes with bureaucracy - corruption.
I like the free market idea - and I hate socialistic / communistic idea of "shaping the market to the right form". Who say what is the right form? Only market itself.
This is more or less question of politics; however, if your country is in EU and the country want to be more liberal and less dependent on Brussels, they call you "euro-skeptic".
As I said before - the market has to shape the market, not the government. And that's why U.S.A. will still be more succesful in economics than whole EU. It's that simple I think.
I'm against the political centralisation of Europe too, but this issue comes squarely in the area of the EEC's ideals before it morphed into the EU. In a European free market, I should have the right to buy media at the cheapest price I can find, and that includes online transactions. If a dominant cartel in the market is preventing that from happening, I'm glad someone is willing to stand up and tell them they must stop. Otherwise the market will never change its shape at all.How is this related to bureaucracy?
Soo... you like stuff like monopoly and cartells? Because only the "socialistic / communistic idea of "shaping the market to the right form"" prevents stuff like that. If the market was to shape itself, we'd see a lot of companies forming cartells and jacking up their prices tenfold..
There are now laws, rules, that tries to limit the monopolistic tendencies of a particular company or industries in a free-market concept.
In other words, maybe Apple's happy about this pressure
Oh I think Apple is happy about this as long as it focuses on changing the system and doesn't end up being some unhelpful punitive measure against Apple, etc.
If you review some of the comments from the EU board is sounds like they realize that Apple is likely trapped by contracts that the labels and existing distribution channels have created over the years.
