France pushes for law to force Apple to "

France is pushing for a law that will force US company Apple Computer to open its iTunes online music store and enable consumers to download songs onto devices other than the computer maker's popular iPod player, a Reuters report said.

 

The report said that under a draft law, consumers would be able to legally use software that converted digital content into any format.

 

It would no longer be illegal to crack digital rights management, the codes that protected music, films and other content, if it would be to enable the conversion from one format to another, Reuters quoted Christian Vanneste, a senior French parliamentarian, as saying.

 

Music downloaded from Apple's iTunes online music store currently could only be played on iPods, the report said.

 

The law, if enacted, could prompt Apple to shut its iTunes store in France, some industry observers said, according to the report.

 

Apple officials in France and Britain were not available for comment, the report said.