A Preliminary Analysis

In its first week of operation in Britain, France, and Germany, iTunes Europe sold an impressive 800,000 songs –- outpacing its nearest competitor by a margin of 16:1.  While this initial success attracted attention from the recording industry, lawmakers, and business executives, a number of questions remain about the future of iTunes in Europe and its ability to adapt a business model based on U.S. law to the laws and cultural norms of different countries in Europe.

The following report, iTunes Europe: A Preliminary Analysis (June 2004), by students of the Berkman Center's Digitial Media Project, considers the legal foundation of iTunes Europe and the interplay of the service with European law.  The report examines the implications of the expansion of iTunes on the future of digital media, technology, business strategies, and international law.

itunes_europe_analysis.pdf

Researchers

Andy Bragin -- bragin AT cyber.law.harvard.edu
Joseph Jackson -- jjackson AT cyber.law.harvard.edu
Ned Locke -- elocke AT cyber.law.harvard.edu

Urs Gasser, Project Director -- ugasser AT cyber.law.harvard.edu