Apple to resolve EU iTunes complaint

Apple will soon announce a plan to resolve European Commission charges that it ran afoul of EU rules by setting prices country by country in Europe, according to a Reuters report. Citing people familiar with the situation, the report states that the announcement is expected by Thursday at the latest, and following the announcement, the European Union competition regulator is expected to announce that it is closing its case against Apple. In April, it was revealed that the EU was investigating Apple and the major labels for possible violation of the body’s competition rules. Apple then claimed that it wanted to open a pan-European iTunes Store, but was held back by the labels. “Apple has always tried to operate a single pan-European iTunes stores accessible by anyone from any member state. But we were advised by the music labels and publishers that there were certain legal limits to the rights they could grant us,” the company said in a statement. It remains uncertain what steps Apple plans to take in order to appease the commission.