EU iTunes Antitrust Probe

AP News reports on a possible probe into Apple's online music store:

The Financial Times said Apple and several major music companies had been sent a "statement of objections" alleging that the deals underpinning the sale of music through iTunes in Europe might violate competition rules.

The charges are centered around the fact that iTunes limits sales to country-specific borders, rather than one central European music store.

Apple, however, maintains that this is due to record label restrictions:

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company wanted to operate a single store for all of Europe, but music labels and publishers said there were limits to the rights that could they could grant to Apple.

"We don't believe Apple did anything to violate EU law," he said. "We will continue to work with the EU to resolve this matter."