German, French groups join drive to alter iTunes

German and French consumer groups have joined a Scandinavian-led drive to force Apple Inc. to make its iTunes online store compatible with digital music players made by rival companies, a Norwegian official said.

Currently, songs purchased and downloaded through iTunes are designed to work with Apple’s market-leading iPod players but not competitors’ models.

In June, consumer agencies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden claimed that Apple was violating contract and copyright laws in their countries.