《Apples Media Monopoly》.pdfVIP

by Kristin Hammer Apple’s Media Monopoly The Ethics of iTunes and iPods French Lawmakers Get Involved in the Digital Music Dispute n March 21, 2006, the French government voted 296 to 193 in favor of a law that would force Apple to o open up its digital music format. If the law is instated, the exclusive iTunes/iPod compatibility will cease to exist. Any mp3 player will be able to play songs downloaded off of iTunes, and iPods will be able to play music off of any online music retailer. France’s ruling will have a far-reaching influence. It’s the first step in dissolving the Apple monopoly worldwide. The overarching issue is Apple’s dominance in the digital music market. The following analysis is meant to motivate readers to consider the ethics of Apple’s monopoly in a rapidly growing online retail industry. Apple’s exclusivity between iTunes and iPods is preventing competitors from achieving an equal level of success. Apple’s dominance in the digital music retail market is unfair, and the company should open up its format to other retailers. In 2001, Microsoft was faced with the same