New law to unlock digital: French bill may open global market.(Digital)

Leading digital music executives are predicting that France's controversial copyright bill will have a dramatic effect on digital sales around the world by forcing open the global download market.

The French parliament last week backed a bill that could compel digital retailers to open up the source code to their digital rights management (DRM) software. The bill must still pass through the French senate, but it is not expected to be opposed.

The ruling, which attempts to increase interoperability between different devices and download stores, has been widely seen as an attack on market leader Apple, as its iTunes Music Store could potentially become the biggest loser under the new law.

Real Europe head of music Gabriel Levy has no doubts the move will have global implications. "Globally, the most important thing to look at is why this has taken as long as it has to catch on," he says. "If it was to catch on in France, I would be surprised if other markets in Europe didn't follow a similar path.

"If you encourage the legitimate market place with interoperability and compatibility you are going to grow the market."

However, Jupiter Research senior analyst Mark Mulligan suggests the main beneficiaries will be the pirates. "If DRM source ...