Anti-trust officials are cautious about the proposed action to make Apple's iTunes Web Store available to other music players. This is in light of the new copyright bill being debated on by the French parliament, requiring Apple to permit iTunes music to play on devices other than iPod.

Scandinavian ombudsmen as well as other members of the European Union have expressed their intention to act on the matter. Though some member states believe that there should be open access, Philip Lowe, director general of competition at the European Commission, chooses to wait.

We wouldn't at this stage regard this as an instance of major concern until we've seen further market developments" Lowe told reporters this week.

Outspoken Norwegian consumer ombudsman Bjorn Erik Thon is on the side of consumer advocates saying that if Apple can require an iPod for songs via iTunes, then it's not a farfetched idea that music, book, and film companies would follow suit. He's waiting to see what Apple has to say when it replies to a letter from his department by a deadline this summer. He said his office was reviewing its options, but could bring charges against Apple in Norway's market court.

Knut Eggum Johansen, director general of Norway's competition agency, thinks that since the market for legally downloadable music files is emerging, it poses an argument for competition authorities to have a more hands-off approach.