Anti-closed-DRM law is inevitable, minister claims

Legislation that will force Apple to relinquish control of its Fairplay digital rights management (DRM) technology is inevitable, according to French Trade Minister Christine Lagarde.

According to a report by the Reuters news agency, Lagarde said that Apple should have anticipated legislation such as France is about to adopt.

"Any time a company restricts competition in a market, it gets the attention of regulating agencies. We have to play by the rules of the game," Reuters quoted Lagarde.

The French National Assembly late March adopted a copyright reform bill that prohibits DRM technology from blocking any "legitimate use" by consumers, such as restricting content to a single brand or model of media player.

The law would force major chances upon Apple as well as its competitors such as Sony and Microsoft. Apple's control over its Fairplay DRM technology has allowed it to become a dominant player in both the markets for digital music downloads and for media players.

Apple has lashed out against the law and said that it would lead to "state-sponsored piracy".

It has been suggested that Apple could respond by retreating from France. But Lagarde argued that the French market is too important for Apple to ignore.