Remember how, when the majors were still insisting their music be only sold with digital rights management technology attached, everyone stressed about how Apple were locking consumers to iTunes and the iPod because the former was the only place you could buy DRMed music that would work on the latter? And that DRMed music bought on the former only worked on the latter?
Well, even though the whole debate seems less important now that everyone is starting to sell MP3s of major label music - which will also play on your iPod - consumer rights regulators in Norway are still stressing about the fact that DRM-ed tracks bought via iTunes, the market leader download store, still only work on iPods, and not other digital music devices.
The country's Consumer Ombudsman, Bjoern Erik Thon, has now said he plans to take the IT firm to the country's Market Council in a bid to force them to properly open up the iTunes Store to digital music players other than their own iPod. Thon says that previous discussions with Apple regarding interoperability have not come to much, and that he now hopes the Council will force the iPod maker to change its policies on the matter.
He told reporters: "No progress has been reported by iTunes since our meeting in February. This is a matter of great principal importance". The Associated Press report that Apple has until 3 Nov to respond to Thon's latest action, and the Council should consider the complaint next year.
Apple have previously threatened to withdraw from European markets where regulators force it to open up its music store or digital rights management codec to rivals.