Leader: Apple off the DRM hook?

Apple, it appears, has been let off the hook.

The French parliament has approved a controversial change to the country's copyright law, called Dadvsi, which has been defanged so as not to cause much discomfort to Apple and other companies such as Microsoft and Sony that distribute digital music encoded with digital rights management (DRM) technology.

Earlier versions of the law could have required Apple et al to share their DRM secrets with rivals so the music could be openly shared - only now all these companies need is an artist's OK to encode the work. Apple should be able to get this when it arranges with record labels to distribute their copyrighted music through its iTunes Music Store.

Predictably Apple complained about the law before it was amended, saying it would result in "state-sponsored piracy" - but it was not the bill's only opponent. The free software contingent was against it too for threatening to restrict the creation of software that could read DRM-encoded files - and la résistance included petitions, marches and spirited lobbying from both sides.

So, chalk one up for Apple, right?

Not exactly. Though the French bill only awaits the signature of President Jacques Chirac before it officially becomes law, it has set off a debate across Europe on the role of government in regulating the sharing of digital materials on the internet.

Denmark, Norway and Sweden are already reviewing Apple's DRM practices which allow music bought on iTunes to be played only on an iPod.

Dadvsi came about as the French modified national copyright law to comply with the EU Copyright Directive. As other European countries do the same - Poland and Switzerland (the latter outside the EU) are set to review their copyright laws this year - we could be in for another round of controversy that doesn't necessarily come with such a convenient loophole for Apple and the other big digital media players.