A story on MarketWatch today notes that the “European Commission on Tuesday took the first step towards bringing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc. and major record companies, as it objected to the territorial restrictions applied to online music sales.” The companies face of fine of up to 10% of global annual revenue if found guilty, the reports says. “WMG and EMI Group are restricting the ability of consumers to choose where to buy music, what music is available and at what price. For example, to buy a music download from iTunes’ Belgian store, one must have a credit card issued by a bank with an address in Belgium, the E.C. noted. In Britain, a consumer body has complained that downloads are more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. Apple in a statement said the record companies were to blame.”
