French council strikes down parts of controversial ‘iPod law’

The French Constitutional Council has declared major portions of the so-called “iPod law” unconstitutional, according to the New York Times. The council’s 12-page legal finding on the controversial interoperability law “made frequent reference to the 1789 Declaration on Human Rights and concluded that the law violated the constitutional protections of property,” according to the report. “In particular, the council eliminated reduced fines for file sharing and said companies could not be forced, without compensation, to make music sold online compatible with any music device.”