A closely watched French law that allows regulators to force Apple Computer Inc. to make its iPod player and iTunes online store compatible with rival offerings went into effect Thursday.
The Internet copyright law included passed France’s parliament June 30. The Constitutional Council threw out several measures last week, concluding that they violated constitutional property protections.
French President Jacques Chirac signed it this week with the body’s changes. The law was published in the government’s Journal Official on Thursday, formally putting it into force.
Apple, which had described an earlier draft of the copyright bill as “state-sponsored piracy,” did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment Thursday. Currently, songs bought on iTunes can be played only on iPods, and an iPod can’t play downloads from other stores that rival iTunes’ premium music catalog.
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