Representatives from Apple and Norway's Consumer Council have begun meeting to resolve concerns that Scandinavian governments have with licensing at the iTunes Store. According to the International Herald Tribune, officials from Norway say they have made "surprising progress."

The negotiations spawned from a request by Norway's Consumer Council Ombudsman that Apple open the iPod and iTunes Store so that they are compatible with competing products, and concerns that licensing terms violate local laws.

Bjorn Erik Thon, the director of the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman's office, commented "Our meeting was much more constructive than I expected it would be. We argued and did not agree on a lot, but we discussed the issues."

The optimism expressed by the Norwegian government nay be short lived, since Apple isn't likely to open its digital rights management copy protection scheme. If Apple does not agree to Norway's terms, the country could impose fines or other legal action.

Prior to the meeting, Apple responded to Norway's claims by stating that its iTunes business practices were fair. Apple was originally notified of the complaint in June.

Representatives from Denmark, Finland and Sweden also attended the talks. The countries are waiting to see how the negotiations play out, and plan to fall in line with Norway's actions.