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Apple Responds to EU iTunes Concerns

Apple Inc. met a deadline imposed by the European Commission to respond to concerns over possible antitrust violations involving the iTunes Store. The company was originally given a June 4 deadline, but that was extended to the 20th after it was clear that Apple would not be able to submit a response in time, according to Forbes.

A spokesperson for the European Commission commented that Apple "answered yesterday and we are studying [the response] carefully at this point."

The commission has been looking into allegations that the pricing structure and purchase restrictions at the iTunes Store violate EU laws. Citizens in one country aren't able to purchase songs from an iTunes Store in a different country - a limitation that Apple claims was imposed by the record labels.

Apple wasn't singled out in the EU investigation. The commission also sent statement of objections to "unnamed" major record labels.

If Apple, the record labels, and the commission are unable to reach an agreement on how to resolve the issue, European officials could potentially impose massive fines equal to about ten percent of each company's world wide sales.

The commission is not yet saying what Apple included in its letter, or when it will offer a public response.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 971 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

I bet Poland and the Czech Republic will still welcome Apple with open arms.

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