When last we saw our Gallic friends, they were busy trying to reconcile the DRM bills that had been passed by their Senate and National Assembly. You see…[insert flashback music]
The National Assembly had passed an extremely strict version of the law that would have required Apple to open up its DRM to competitors, a move the company termed “state-sponsored piracy.”
Meanwhile, the French Senate passed a watered-down version of the law: this allowed copyright holders to have the final say on whether or not DRM should be interoperable, allowing Apple to negotiate with the recording industry and artists. Tricksy.
Which brings us to the present. BusinessWeek is reporting this morning that the two houses have declared that, much like Highlander, there can be only one law. And in this case…it will be the puny inoffensive version. And my favorite part:
Unlike the National Assembly’s text, the compromise does not allow consumers or their organizations to file complaints to the new authority.Great France, way to do nothing.Lawmakers also agreed to scrap an earlier proposal allowing copy-protection technologies to be legally hacked when they prevent rival music players and sites working together.
