What Is it with EU Countries and Apple’s iTunes?

Personal commitments mean I’m away from my computer Friday afternoon, and this post was done late Thursday night.

So by the time you read this, the law the French are considering may have passed.

The fight the French and, as you’ll see, other EU countries are picking with Apple is almost bizarre. It’s as if open-source digital music is some kind of entitlement:

France’s parliament is to vote Friday on a draft law which, if passed, could force Apple to make songs on its hugely popular iTunes Music Store compatible with players other than iPods.

But — after months of pressure from the US technology company — the law is also expected to include an amendment that might let Apple sidestep the measure and maintain the status quo.

Much rides on the outcome of the French bill’s passage.

Other European countries — Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and possibly soon Finland — are all considering similar legislation, and there are signs the battle to break Apple’s dominant position in the digital music marketplace could spread even further.

Look, I’m not a big fan of Apple’s proprietary format either. But whining is not the answer. Building a better business model with open source music is. Unfortunately, that would require work, so the music industry is attempting to have governments do the dirty work for them.